


Photo Shoot

by NaruSasuNaruLover



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bottom Uchiha Sasuke, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Cross-Posted on Wattpad, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enthusiastic Consent, Eventual Smut, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Light Dom/sub, M/M, Male Slash, NaruSasu - Freeform, Photography, Revised Version, Safe Sane and Consensual, Top Uzumaki Naruto, Yaoi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:41:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 62,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27181948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NaruSasuNaruLover/pseuds/NaruSasuNaruLover
Summary: Sometimes the person you fall in love with is the last person you'd expect. Naruto never thought he'd fall for Sasuke; will having to work together change his mind? NaruSasu KyuuItaKyuuRevised version of fic posted on FanFiction.net with smut added. All chapters are being posted at once.
Relationships: Kyuubi | Nine-tails | Kurama/Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 21
Kudos: 107





	1. Persuasion

**The past is behind us, love is in front and all around us. ~Terri Guillemets**

Blue eyes stared at the picture on the wall, trying to decide whether or not he should showcase the picture in front of him. He cocked his head to the side, trying to take it in from a different person's point of view. _'Could this be offensive?'_ he wondered as he looked at it. He personally found nothing offensive about it, but he had also been told that his mentor had skewed his taste. He ran a hand through his hair as he continued to stare at the photograph in front of him.

"Is that a nude photograph?" the voice of his brother asked from behind him. He jumped a little at the question, wondering how the man could sneak up on him so easily. "Naruto, why is there a picture of a naked woman hanging in the living room?" the other man then asked, looking at his brother for the answer.

Naruto scratched the back of his head nervously, "It's art." He looked at his brother, who just shook his head. "What? It is," the blonde argued. He looked at his brother. The other man looked nothing like him; not only because of his red hair, but also the clothes he wore. Kurama owned a magazine and was usually dressed professionally: dress pants, a tie, a nice dress shirt, Naruto was sure that he had a matching blazer somewhere. Even when his brother was dressed casually he looked much more put together than Naruto.

Naruto didn’t care as much about his appearance, he wouldn’t say he dressed bad he just preferred comfort. He was a photographer and had a much more relaxed style. Most of the time he had a camera around his neck and was wearing some fitted jeans, a casual shirt, and his favorite orange jacket.

"It's porn," Kurama responded as he stared at the black and white photograph of a naked model. "You're becoming more like Jiraiya everyday," he then mumbled.

"I see nothing wrong with being like him," the blonde grinned. "He's a great photographer," Naruto pointed out. The man was well known and in Naruto’s opinion it didn’t matter that he was known for his more risqué photos.

"Of course you don't," he shook his head. "And we both know that's not what I meant," he added on the subject. "So is she another girlfriend, or just a model this time?" Kurama asked as he looked at the girl in the picture. Naruto was a serial dater. His relationships never lasted long, most of them being superficial rather than finding any real emotional connection.

"Just a model," Naruto replied. "I think I'm taking a break from dating models after the crazy chick," the blonde added as he started walking toward the rather large kitchen.

"What are you talking about, that pink haired bimbo was wonderful," Kurama grinned sarcastically. "What was her name? Sakura?" he asked. "What did you even see in her?" he asked, teasing his brother the entire way down the hall.

"She wasn't insane when I met her," Naruto argued, causing the red head to laugh. "So what is it that you wanted? You don't usually come around asking about my art unless you want something," the blonde said as he looked in the refrigerator for some food.

"I need a favor actually," Kurama told him casually. "I don't know if I'd even call it a favor because I'd be paying you for doing it.”

"If you have a job for me just come out and say it," Naruto said as he turned to his brother. He'd never had his brother take so long just to ask him to do a job so he knew it must something he wouldn’t like.

"Well, you know how I've been trying to feature the Uchihas in the business section of my magazine for as long as I can remember?" Kurama asked cautiously.

"No," Naruto said sternly, knowing where it was going. He hated the Uchiha brothers. He didn't have any sound reason to hate them, but he did. He’d never met the men but he knew about them, everyone knew about them. They were good at everything, they had everything, and it seemed like they didn't have to really work for it, everything was just handed to them on a silver platter. The two were born with a silver spoon in their mouths and when they were old enough they had a Fortune 500 company handed to them.

"I know you don't like them," Kurama said. "But this article is going to be huge, everyone is going to read it. They are what the people are interested in and the fact that they finally agreed to do an interview is huge. This is an _exclusive_ ," he emphasized, shutting the refrigerator on his brother.

"Why me?" Naruto asked. "Can't you get someone else to do it?" the blonde asked, dreading the idea of having to work with the Uchiha brothers.

"You're right, I shouldn't share the success this article could bring with my one and only brother," Kurama scoffed in faux disappointment.

Naruto was silent as he stared at his brother. After a minute, he looked down and sighed, "Fine, I'll do it." He crossed his arms as he leaned against the refrigerator, "But I won't be happy about it."

"As long as you aren't rude to them, I don't care," Kurama grinned. He knew that his brother would probably clash with at least one of the Uchiha brothers, but as long as he didn't cause him to lose the exclusive, he didn't care. The Uchihas were like celebrities: they were young, powerful, attractive and wealthy. Every girl wanted them and all the guys wanted to be them. They were on every most eligible bachelor list and neither seemed to ever date. They didn't like interviews, but instead were very business oriented. Kurama saw them as a great opportunity to boost interest in his magazine. "What I'm trying to say is, don't do anything stupid," Kurama told him. "They could sell a lot of magazines, especially if you can get the youngest to open up to you. The girls seem to really like him.” Kurama always found the oldest brother to be the mort attractive of the two, but what he thought didn’t matter.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, you never said anything about me interviewing one of those spoiled brats," Naruto glared. "I said I would take the photographs, that's all.” It may seem childish, but he wanted to spend as little time as possible with them.

"Look, you're more his age so he might be more willing to open up to you," Kurama said. "Please just do this one little thing for me," he pleaded.

Naruto thought about it for a moment, weighing his options, "Fine, but this is not one little thing. I want you to acknowledge that I am a _great_ brother doing this for you." He crossed his arms childishly.

"Fine," Kurama said as he leaned against the counter, just trying to please his little brother so he’d shut up.

"No, I want you to actually say it," he grinned. It wasn’t often he had the upper hand.

"Naruto you are a great brother," he sighed, trying not to sound as annoyed as he felt. "Now stop acting like a child. I mean you're an adult, isn't it time you start to act like one?" the red head teased as he pat his younger brother on the head and walked out of the kitchen.

Naruto just glared in his brother's direction before going back to looking for food. "I am not acting childishly," he mumbled to himself as he absentmindedly looked in the refrigerator again.

**NS**

Sasuke sat in his office looking over the pile of papers that had accumulated on his desk. He ran his hand through his hair as he leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes. _'God I need a break,'_ he thought, though he knew that he wouldn't take one. The man was a workaholic and no amount of exhaustion was going to change that. His office door opened, causing him to jump a little. "Haven't you ever heard of knocking?" Sasuke snapped as he saw who it was.

The silver-haired man just smiled as he leaned on the door, "Maybe if you got some sleep you wouldn't be so bitchy." Kakashi was an old family friend and the man who had helped train both of the Uchiha boys in the family business once their parents died.

"Is that any way to talk to your boss?" Sasuke asked as he glared at the older man. He was trying to make the other man’s head explode with his eyes, but was finding that it wasn't working.

"We both know you can't fire me," Kakashi smiled. The man was a little odd, but he was good at his job and was a very close friend of their uncle. He wore a turtleneck, higher than was necessary and an eye patch as if he were some sort of pirate. Sasuke was pretty sure that he only did so to make him seem mysterious.

"Go away, I'm trying to work," Sasuke growled as he turned away from his former mentor. He wasn't in the mood to be bothered, let alone to put up with Kakashi's antics.

"You still haven't gotten laid yet, have you?" Kakashi then asked with a grin. He knew how to push Sasuke's buttons and found it fun to do so. He felt that the younger man was too uptight; he didn't know how to laugh at himself or anything else.

"Go to hell Kakashi," he said to the man, ignoring the question. He hated how the man was always trying to figure out his business or trying to set him up with someone.

"That answers my question," the man grinned again. "Really you would think by now you would have fucked someone. "There are plenty of girls or guys out there that would be happy to do the honors," he told the young Uchiha.

It was true that Sasuke had the opportunity; he just never acted on it. "Is there something you wanted? You know, other than to talk about my sex life?" he had a glare planted firmly on his face as he looked at the other man and was highly annoyed by his intrusion.

The man sat in the chair across from him, "Oh, right, your brother wanted to see you." He crossed one leg over the other as he added, "About twenty minutes ago."

"Kakashi," he growled out as he stood up.

"What, he didn't say it was an emergency," the man shrugged as the youngest Uchiha walked out of the room, not listening to a word he said.

**NS**

Itachi sat in his office, reading over papers that he had yet to sign. He had sent Kakashi for his brother a half an hour earlier, which meant that he should be coming any minute now. He knew his brother's tardiness was not his fault, but that didn't mean that he wasn't going to torment him when he came in.

There was a knock on the door. Before he could respond, the door opened and Sasuke quickly walked into the room. He sat down across from his older brother, clearly agitated by the situation. "Took you long enough," Itachi smirked.

"You sent Kakashi, what did you expect?" Sasuke glared as he looked at his brother. "What do you need?" he asked, cutting to the chase so he could get back to work.

Itachi looked at his little brother and could tell that he was over worked, "You look like shit." It wasn't the answer to Sasuke's question, but it was more important. Sasuke obviously wasn't taking care of himself.

"Is that why you called me here?" Sasuke sighed. He knew it wasn't, but he just wanted to get to the point.

"Go home," Itachi ordered. "Get some rest. Your work will still be there tomorrow if you take off a day," it was clear by his tone that it was not up for discussion.

"Itachi, I'm fine," Sasuke tried to argue. He didn't know why he was bothering. He knew that his brother wasn't going to change his mind.

"The reason I called you in is because I wanted to tell you that we're doing an interview for a magazine over the next few days," he then said, surprising his brother.

"What, why?" he asked. They both hated interviews so he wasn’t sure why Itachi would suddenly want to do one.

"Because I said so," Itachi said. "And I can't have them taking pictures of you looking like that," he waved his hand in Sasuke’s general direction. "As I said, you look like shit and your answers will probably be shit too.”

"But Itachi, I don't want to do some stupid interview," Sasuke argued.

"I don't care, it's good for the company, " Itachi was getting annoyed with his brother. "You're going to take the next few days off and I don't want to hear any more arguments about it. Just enjoy your time off," Itachi ordered.

"But I have work to do," Sasuke huffed, hating the idea of taking time off. He stood up and leaned his hands on his brother's desk; he wasn't going to go down with out a fight.

"Kakashi can do it," Itachi responded calmly as he leaned back in his chair. He wasn’t going to be intimidated by his little brother.

"Have I been making mistakes or something?" Sasuke asked, wondering why his brother would make him take off work. "What have I done to deserve a forced vacation?" he asked.

"You haven't taken care of yourself," Itachi said with a frown. "It's just a few days," he said. "Think of the interview and photo shoot as your work for those days," he suggested.

"Just because you're older doesn't mean that you get to make all of the decisions for the company," Sasuke argued as he stood up straight and crossed his arms.

"You're right, we do manage equal amounts of this company, but I can see that you are not fit to work right now and I'm pulling you out," Itachi was putting his foot down, he didn’t care if they had equal status in the company. "It's only a few days, deal with it.”

They both knew that Sasuke would eventually end up listening to him, he always did. Sasuke wasn’t sure if it was because he was older and he had always looked up to him or if it were just out of habit since Itachi was older and generally dictated what happened. "Fine," Sasuke agreed quietly as he looked down. He knew better than to continue arguing, instead he kept quiet and walked out of the room, keeping what little he had left of his pride.


	2. Fight

**Hate leaves ugly scars; love leaves beautiful ones. ~Mignon McLaughlin**

"Really, do I have to do this?" Naruto whined as he sat in his brother's studio. They were meeting the Uchihas at noon so it would coincide with their lunch break. It was just a preliminary meeting to go over everything that would be needed to be done and who would do what.

Naruto was lying on a large table that was placed against a wall of the office. He had his camera next to him and a bored expression on his face. Of all of the places that he wanted to be waiting for the Uchihas was last on the list. "Get your ass off my table," Kurama said as he smacked his leg and leaned against the table. "You're going to break it," he smirked; always ready to push his brother’s buttons.

"Are you calling me fat?" Naruto pretended to be offended. He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the table. "If your fat ass isn't going to break it by leaning on it, I'm sure as hell not going to break it by sitting on it," he grinned.

"Did that make sense in your head?" he asked little his brother, looking at him as if he were an idiot. Kurama looked at his watch quickly before pulling his brother off of the table, "I'm serious, don't sit on the table."

"Why do you care so much about what these stuck up pricks think?" Naruto scoffed. He stood and leaned against the table as he crossed his arms. "It's not like they're anything special," he rolled his eyes as he thought about the men that he always saw on television. Itachi was always on television for something to promote the company. Sasuke seemed to hate the spotlight. He seemed to push away every camera that came near him, letting his brother handle the media aspect of running a business.

"Don't be jealous," Kurama chuckled. He knew his brother all too well and he knew exactly why he didn't like the Uchihas. Naruto wasn't one not to like someone he didn't know, so he had to have some stupid reason.

"I am not jealous," it was obvious that he was lying by the slight squeak in his voice.

Kurama just laughed at his brother's reaction, "It's okay, it's perfectly natural. They're good looking and rich, you're aloud to be jealous." Naruto just started mumbling to himself about how he wasn't jealous and he'd show him who's more attractive. The red head laughed at his brother's antics, but started ignoring them the minute the Uchihas walked into the door.

"You must be Uchiha Itachi," Kurama said as he shook Itachi's hand. "And you must be Uchiha Sasuke," he smiled as the younger Uchiha reluctantly shook his hand. "I'm Namikaze Kurama, I own Konoha Weekly, and this is my brother Naruto, he's a photographer."

Naruto looked at Sasuke and was surprised by his appearance. He was expecting to see two men in suits, but unlike his brother, Sasuke was in casual clothes. He hand on some nice jeans, a plain causal shirt, and a red jacket that the blonde thought was a stunning contrast to Sasuke's features. The raven stood there, looking fairly uncomfortable with his hands in his jacket pockets as he looked around. He was so bundled up that it looked as if he were trying to hide something. The black scarf around his neck seemed so out of place, but it didn't seem as if he were taking it off any time soon. Naruto didn't know that Itachi hadn't let Sasuke go to work that day, that for once he had wanted him to just relax and not even think about work, including the attire that went with it.

He didn't want to, but for a moment Naruto couldn't help but stare. There were things about the youngest Uchiha that he wouldn't have expected. He understood why Sasuke wore the necklace under the scarf because from what he could see of the necklace he was fairly certain that it was their clan symbol. The blonde would never have expected Sasuke to have two piercing in his ears; he was supposed to be a businessman, not some wild child. It wasn't as if two piercings made someone a wild child, it just wasn't the image he'd expected of an Uchiha. He'd always heard that Sasuke was good looking and so just figured that he looked like a clone of his brother. While they did look alike, there were still big differences between the two.

Sasuke moved his head, causing his hair to fall over his ears. Naruto figured that his hair usually covered the piercings, which is why no one had ever said anything about them. "Is there a reason you're staring at me moron?" Sasuke asked, interrupting Naruto's thoughts. Sasuke hated being in that position, he wasn't in a suit like his brother because he hadn't been at work. He wished he’d just worn a suit despite not being at work to keep up appearances.

He was glaring at the blonde as if he knew that he were better than him. Naruto didn't want to inflate his giant ego anymore than it already was, so he quickly said, "I was just wondering about your hair." He grinned as he looked at the other man's spiked hair, getting a brilliant idea on how to bring him down a few notches.

"What about it?" Sasuke continued to glare. His tone of voice was deadly and it seemed like he wanted to kill the other man despite hardly knowing him. Had his brother been paying attention to their conversation, he probably would have stopped it then and there.

"Well I was just wondering when hair shaped like a duck's ass started being in style," he said triumphantly. He could see that he was getting to the dark haired man and loved every second of it. "I mean do you actually do your hair like that, or is it just an unfortunate occurrence?" he asked with a fake-friendly smile.

Itachi was talking with Kurama about the details of the magazine article when he looked over at his brother talking to the other Namikaze brother. It was at that moment he could tell his brother was going to attack. "Shit," he said under his breath.

"I don't know, did you pick the shitty profession of photography or was it the only thing you were good at?" Sasuke hissed, ready to punch the other man in the face.

Naruto stepped closer to the raven, invading his personal space, "What did you say?" He loved photography; he wasn't just going to let someone insult it. Photography may not be the best paying job, but it was his passion.

"What are you mad because I insulted your sorry excuse of a profession?" Sasuke smirked as he asked. “If you can even call it a profession.” Sasuke had nothing against photographers, he was just being cruel because the man had gotten under his skin and it was the only thing he knew he could use.

"Take it back," Naruto demanded as he lunged at the youngest Uchiha. Before the fight could get very far Kurama and Itachi pulled them apart. Naruto was fighting to get out of Kurama's arms as he yelled, "Let me at him!"

"Naruto calm down," Kurama demanded as he shook his brother. The blonde stopped struggling as he frowned and huffed.

Itachi looked at Kurama expectantly as he held onto one of Sasuke's arms. The younger Uchiha had stopped struggling the moment Itachi pulled him away and he knew he was going to get yelled at for fighting at all. Sasuke looked down as Itachi said, "Maybe we should continue this tomorrow."

"I _promise_ Naruto will be on his best behavior tomorrow," Kurama said as he looked at his brother. It was his was of saying _"I promise he won't hurt Sasuke."_

"As will Sasuke," Itachi said. Sasuke just nodded as his brother pulled him out of the office.

Once they were outside of the office, Itachi let him go and turned to look at him. He was silent for a moment, just looking at his brother trying to figure out what to say. "I'm disappointed," he finally said, which made Sasuke's heart sink. No matter how old he got, disappointing his brother would always be worse than him being angry.

"I'm sorry," Sasuke said quietly. He didn't know what else he could say; there was no real excuse for his actions. He let the blonde get to him, but that wasn’t a reason for him to react in such a way.

"Sasuke, you're twenty-one," Itachi started to lecture. "I shouldn't have to treat you like a kid anymore," he continued. "I thought we were done with this rebellious stage," he frowned. While Itachi had been good at keeping it away from the press, Sasuke had gone through a rebellious stage in his teens. He had calmed down during college, but remnants of it still remained. He had gotten him to take out the lip and tongue piercings, but the ear piercings remained, just hidden behind his hair the majority of the time.

"We are," Sasuke confirmed. "I don't know what came over me, I'm sorry," he said, trying to make everything okay with his brother. He didn't speak out on the fact that he didn't think that he really had much of a rebellious stage but he wasn't trying to make his brother angrier. A few piercings and sneaking out didn’t necessarily make him rebellious; he was just being a teenager.

Itachi looked around and saw a crowd starting to form on the once deserted street. "You go home. We'll talk some more when I get home tonight," he said, once again feeling more like a parent than a brother. Sasuke just frowned and watched as his brother walked away, leaving him to feel like shit.

**NS**

Naruto felt nervous as he watched Kurama pace back and forth. Naruto didn't dare try to sit on the table again, instead he opted to stand and watch silently. "Do you know what you could have cost me?" the redhead asked as he looked at his brother.

The blonde swallowed the lump in his throat and meekly said, "Sorry." He couldn't look his brother in the eyes because he knew that he was furious with him.

"You could have cost me _the_ exclusive," he said. "The exclusive that no one else has been able to get," he added. "The exclusive with the youngest business owners in the world," he continued. "The exclusive that everybody is going to want to read," he finished. He stopped pacing and looked at his brother, "Why couldn't you just be nice?"

"The guy was a jerk," Naruto said. It just flew out of his mouth and he knew that he was digging himself into a deeper hole.

"I don't care," Kurama said as he threw his arms up in frustration. "I mean if he really bugged you that much, then just don't talk to him. Don't you remember what they always said in grade school? If you can't say nothing nice," he said.

"Don't say anything at all," Naruto finished for him. "Yeah I know," he sighed. "I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to be that rude. You know how things just fly out of my mouth and then I can't stop them. I really do need to learn how to censor myself," the blonde started rambling.

"Do I need to find someone else to do this job?" Kurama asked. A frown spread across his face as he let out a sigh. He wanted to share his success with his brother, but he didn’t want to put the article in jeopardy.

"No, but explain to me why you want me to do it so badly," said Naruto as he looked at his older brother.

"You see how close the Uchiha brothers are, I figured having my brother help me on this would make a good impression on them. You know, they'd be more likely to cooperate," he explained. He wasn’t going to add that he wanted Naruto to share in his success, he was too upset with him to give any sort of encouragement.

"Oh," Naruto said, as if a light clicked on. "They're still jerks, no matter what you were trying to do," the blonde shrugged.

"You have to admit though, they are hot," Kurama said as he thought about the Uchiha brothers.

The blonde was silent as he looked at the ground. "I was staring," Naruto admitted as he leaned against the table.

Kurama leaned next to him. "At Sasuke?" he asked as he looked at his brother, hoping he'd clarify.

"Yeah, but I didn't want to inflate that ego of his, so I started a fight instead," he bit his lip, hoping his brother wouldn't tease him.

Kurama started to laugh, "Aw, someone has a crush." He put his arm around his brother and ruffled his hair as he said, "You guys would make a cute couple."

"I don't have a crush on him," Naruto said as he pushed his brother's arm off. "He's hot, that's all. I don’t know anything about the guy," Naruto grumbled, not wanting to be teased by his brother while they worked with the Uchihas, just because he thought the youngest Uchiha was hot.

"That’s never stopped you before, but don't worry I won't tell," Kurama smirked as he started to walk away. "Naruto and Sasuke sitting in a tree," he started to taunt.

"Kurama, I don’t like him," Naruto whined, but his brother wasn’t listening. "Damn it," he cursed under his breath, knowing Kurama would never let him live the stupid confession down.


	3. Attraction

**True love comes quietly, without banners or flashing lights. If you hear bells, get your ears checked. ~Erich Segal**

Inuzuka Kiba sat in Naruto's kitchen while both of them were eating. The two of them had known each other since grade school and had been best friends pretty much ever since. Kiba and Naruto were a lot alike in most regards and they had been the troublemaking class clowns. When they were younger, they were often stupid together, it was as if when they got together they lost any common sense that they had. On Naruto's eighteenth birthday they got tattoos together, on their faces, because they thought it would make them look cool. It was at that point in life that Naruto knew he had to be good at photography because no one in the corporate world would accept a guy with a tattoo that looked like whiskers on his cheeks and Kiba was just lucky that he had his parent's company to fall back on because no other company was going to accept a guy with red triangles on his face. For the most part, they were both content with not truly making it in the business world. Naruto had photography and Kiba liked the part of the company he was over seeing and the people he worked with.

**Flashback**

"Dude, I can't believe we did that," Kiba said as he looked at the bright red triangles on his face in a mirror in Naruto's bedroom. "My parents are going to kill me," he half laughed. He was partially serious and somewhat scared about what they would do to him, but it wasn't as if he could change what he did.

"Your parents? Think about what my dad is going to do to me," Naruto said as he pushed Kiba out of the way and looked at the tattooed whisker marks. "If this ruins his election, he's going to kill me," the blonde said, obvious fear in his eyes. Neither one of them had really thought it through; they just wanted to look cool.

"Your dad is cool, he won't kill you," Kiba assured his friend. Tattoos were nothing compared to other things Naruto could do and probably wouldn’t even cause a stir. Kiba's dog barked at their feet, scratching at the brunette's leg, "I know boy, I'm not sure that I want to go home either."

"It's weird that you talk to your dog," Naruto said while he looked Kiba petting his dog, mumbling things to his dog as if he understood him.

"He understands," Kiba said as he stood up straight. "If you had a dog you'd understand," Kiba said as he sat on Naruto's bed.

"If I had a pet I wouldn't get something wimpy like a dumb dog," Naruto said as he leaned up against the desk in his room. "I'd get something cool," he continued to think about it. "Like a fox," the blonde grinned. "That would be awesome, do you think that I could?" he asked excitedly.

Kiba just laughed and said, "I think they're probably too vicious to have as pets." He just shook his head at his best friend and said, "Only you would want something as a pet that would probably attack you."

"Don't lie, you know it'd be awesome to have a fox as a pet," Naruto said. "A fox could kick your dog's ass," he smiled and the dog growled at him as if he understood him. "Call off your dog," Naruto said as he looked at the large white dog.

"Don't call him wimpy, he’ll attack on command," Kiba smirked as he started to pet the dog. "Good boy," he said making Naruto pout a little.

**End Flashback**

"Tell me again why I couldn't bring my dog over?" the brunette asked as he looked at his best friend. He had been listening to Naruto complain for the past half an hour and was hoping to successfully change the subject.

"Because the last time you brought him over he peed in my house," the blonde lamely replied as he grabbed a water bottle from the fridge. He also knew it was because he and the dog weren't on best of terms; the dog always seemed to growl at him whenever he saw him.

"I think you're just scared of him," Kiba smirked as he finished what he had been eating. Naruto rolled his eyes but didn't reply to the statement, which confirmed his statement was true. "That's awesome, now I wish he was here," Kiba said as he grinned at his best friend.

"Come on let's go upstairs," he suggested as he put his plate in the sink, "and don't change the subject on me." They walked up the stairs to the blonde’s room to talk.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Kiba said innocently with a smile. He was sick of hearing Naruto complain about Sasuke. He was a good friend so he wasn't going to just tell him to shut up and deal with it, but that didn't mean that he wanted to continually hear about it. He didn’t understand how he could have so much to complaint about someone he just met.

Naruto looked at him skeptically, "Yeah you do." Kiba just shrugged in response as they walked into Naruto's room. It wasn't as orange as one might think, instead it was rather nicely decorated. There were touches of orange through out the room, but nothing drastic, it didn't look as if someone threw a can of orange paint in the room and called it done like it did when they were in high school.

"Every time I look at your room, I remember you're gay," Kiba said as he lied down on Naruto's bed. The blonde didn't usually act like the stereotypical gay man so it was easy for Kiba to forget that he was gay at all sometimes.

"How many times do I have to tell you that I'm bi, not gay," Naruto sighed as he sat in his desk chair. He didn’t understand how a nicely decorated room made him gay, but he didn’t bother acknowledging it. He had to have an eye for design as a photographer so he could make the picture look good.

"What's the difference, either way you like dick," Kiba shrugged, earning himself a glare from the blonde. Naruto looked around on his desk and saw a baseball sitting on it, which he grabbed and threw at the brunette, barely missing him. "What the hell man!"

"You're lucky that I meant to miss," Naruto smiled at the terrified look on Kiba's face. He had already been in a bad mood from dealing with Sasuke the other day; he didn't need Kiba to be rude too. "And just for being ass, I'm going to complain to you some more," he said as he put his feet up on the desk.

"Like you wouldn't have anyway," Kiba mumbled as he threw the ball back at the blonde. _'Please just shoot me,'_ he thought as he closed his eyes waiting for the blonde to continue the complaining he'd started earlier that morning.

"So, where was I?" the other man asked as he caught the baseball. Naruto started throwing the ball up as he thought about what he wanted to say, "Oh, that's right, I was talking about Sasuke. The guy is such an asshole."

"I know, you've told me so about a thousand times," Kiba said, obviously bored. He was trying to find something in the room that was interesting to look at so that he could ignore the conversation. Once again he wished his dog were there so he could have something to do while the blonde rambled on. At least if his dog were there he could pet him or throw the ball for him.

"He's just so infuriating, he acts like he's better than everyone else," Naruto huffed as he got up and started pacing the room. Kiba watched and knew that the blonde was going to be complaining for a while.

"The guy and his brother own like half the city, of course he thinks he's better than everyone else," Kiba pointed out as he sat up on Naruto's bed. He knew that the only way to deal with the situation was to actually respond. "His company probably pays a lot of people's paychecks. If he said jump, some people would probably ask how high."

"I don't care what the fuck he owns, it doesn't mean he has to be an asshole," Naruto replied. "My dads the mayor and you don't see me acting all high and mighty," he argued.

Kiba watched as the blonde continued to be flustered over the raven-haired man and a smirk spread over his face. "Look, you keep talking about Sasuke and I'll start talking about Hinata," the brunette gave a not so innocent smile.

"That is so not the same," Naruto said defensively. "You're in practically in love with Hinata, all you do is gush over her," the blonde argued, thinking that he was making his case that his situation with Sasuke was different.

"All you've done is talk about Sasuke ever since you've met him," Kiba pointed out as his friend sat down next to him with a surprised look on his face. "I mean I know that's how I am with Hinata, but that's because I like her. So, I'm going to ask you this once, are you sure that you don't like him?" the brunette asked as he looked at his best friend.

Naruto frowned, "Yes, I'm sure I don't like him. Now I'll admit, he's hot and looks nothing like I expected, but he's and bastard and I do not like him." He knew his words were going to get turned around on him, just like his brother did to him.

Kiba just laughed as he said, "What do you mean? How could you have never seen an Uchiha before?" With how the Uchihas were in the news, he doubted that he had never seen an Uchiha. It was well known that Sasuke always tried to hide his face if there was a camera around, but from what he could all Uchihas had certain features in common.

"I thought he'd look like his brother," Naruto shrugged. Kiba looked at him to clarify, so Naruto continued, "They do look alike, but he's got piercings and shorter hair. Plus, he wasn't in a suit like his brother, which I just found plain odd." The blonde thought about it some more as he continued, "Of the two, I would guess he took after their mother because he looks more like a girl than his brother does."

Kiba started laughing, "You so like him." He pat his friend on the back and said, "It makes sense if he looks a little girly why you'd like him, you know since you like guys and girls." The brunette laughed at his own joke, however Naruto didn't find it very funny.

"I didn't say he was girly," Naruto said. "I mean he probably is because I'm guessing he takes at least an hour to do his fucking hair in the morning, but other than that I didn't say he was exactly girly," the blonde said.

"Yeah, okay," Kiba smiled. He knew that his best friend didn't want to admit it, but something was starting between Naruto and Sasuke. He wasn't sure what it was, but if he had to guess, he'd guess that soon enough the blonde would be talking about Sasuke in an extremely different manner. _'Something tells me they won't hate each other much longer,'_ Kiba thought as he looked knowingly at his best friend.

**NS**

Kurama watched his father work. He was standing in the doorway of his father's home office, debating whether or not he should go in and talk to him. He knew elections were coming up and that his father was going to be busy so he probably shouldn't bother him, but he also knew from Naruto and Sasuke's encounter the other day that there was something he needed to know.

"Are you going to stand there all day?" Minato smiled as he looked up at his son. It always made him a little sad to look at Kurama; he looked so much like his mother. He may have had more his haircut and a little bit more of his face shape, but every thing else reminded him of Kushina. His hair and eyes were like an exact replica of hers. When she was alive it never mattered, but then she died in childbirth and it made him more difficult to look at. He never would admit it, but he was happy when he saw that Naruto got his blue eyes and blonde hair, it just made everything easier. He tried not to show how much it hurt when he looked at his oldest son, but he knew that sometimes his face betrayed him.

"I wanted to talk to you about something," Kurama said as he walked into his father's office and sat across from him. The office was one of the nicest rooms in the house, it had to be so he could work there and have people over.

The blonde man put his work down and looked at his son, "What is it?" Kurama looked serious, which worried him. It wasn't as if Kurama couldn't be serious, it was just that he was usually more laid back at home than he was at work.

"It's about Naruto," Kurama started as he looked down. He was nervous about what he was going to say and so he started to play with the knickknacks on the desk in front of him, trying to find the right words to say. He felt bad for what he was about to do to his brother, as if he were ratting him out. He knew that his father would accept him either way and with the election coming up, it was something he needed to know.

"Is he okay?" Minato asked, the worry evident in his voice and written all over his face. He had completely forgot about his work at that point as he looked at his son, waiting for the news about his other son.

"He's fine," Kurama assured him. He paused as he looked for the right way to say what he wanted to tell him, "You know how Naruto's always dated girls?" Minato nodded, wondering where the conversation was going. "Well, he doesn't only like girls," Kurama said delicately. "Naruto's bi," he explained.

"Why are you telling me this?" Minato frowned. He couldn't understand why his oldest son was in front of him telling him something so personal about his youngest son.

"Well, I think Naruto might be attracted to this guy," Kurama started to say, but stopped as his father started to shake his head.

"No, I mean why isn't Naruto telling me?" he asked. He would never judge his son so he didn't understand why he wouldn't just tell him. He had thought that he'd made it clear that he would accept him no matter what.

"I think that he was worried how you'd react," Kurama said. "He didn't want to jeopardize your campaign," he added quietly. He knew that his brother was a truly selfless person and would do anything for his family, even if it meant risking his own happiness. He knew that there was a reason his brother never really went for the guys that he was attracted to.

' _How could I have missed this?'_ he wondered as he thought about what Kurama said. "What made you think that you needed to tell me now?" he asked curiously as he looked at his son. He wondered if Naruto was dating a guy and he didn't even know about it. He didn't like thinking that there might be a part of his son's life that he didn't even know about. He didn't know how he could be so clueless as to what was happening in his house. "It's not that Kiba guy right? I don't like him," he asked, worried about his son's choices of people.

Kurama just laughed at the thought of Naruto and Kiba together. "No, it isn't Kiba. Naruto just met this guy," he started to explain. "They aren't dating or anything, in fact they act like they hate each other," the redhead laughed again. "But, Naruto's attracted to him, at least physically, I can tell," he then added. "I just wanted you to know incase anything does happen," he explained.

"Thank you for telling me, I'll talk to him," Minato smiled. He knew that he had to figure out how to talk to his son without sounding as if he were attacking him and without throwing his other son under the bus. Before Kurama could say anything else, he sent him out of the room so that he could think.


	4. Meeting

**Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule. ~** **Buddha**

Naruto was sitting in the living room flipping through channels. He was getting frustrated because there was nothing good on and he had an hour to kill before he had to leave for Kurama's office. He didn't understand why he had to be there for the preliminary meeting, he knew what he had to do; unfortunately it had been made clear that Kurama wasn't going to let him get out of it. He understood why they were doing one, Kurama was making sure to keep the Uchihas happy and he was sure that the other brothers wanted to know exactly what was going on, he just wasn't sure why he was forced to be there with how badly it went the first time. "Naruto?" he heard his father's voice from behind him.

"Hey dad," he smiled. "What's up?" he asked, a little surprised that his father wanted to sit down and talk. It wasn't everyday around election time that his father would just want to have a chat. He was a good father, but he tended to get a little wrapped up in his campaign.

"There's something we need to talk about," Minato said as he sat down on the couch next to his son. He grabbed the controller and turned off the television, wanting his son's full attention. He knew that it wasn't going to be an easy conversation to have.

"Okay," Naruto said cautiously. "What did you want to talk about?" he asked as he looked at his father. He was worried as to what he wanted to talk about. He started to nervously play with the necklace he regularly wore, he didn't know why but it had become somewhat of a nervous habit of his.

"Kurama told me," Minato said. He paused for a moment before clearing he throat and continuing by saying, "He told me that you're bisexual." Naruto's eyes widened at his father's words.

"He what?" Naruto asked as he stopped playing with the necklace, letting it fall around his neck. He was partly angry, part betrayed, and completely shocked. He was so surprised he felt as if his eyes were going to pop out of his head.

The older man put a hand on his son's back as he assured him, "It's okay Naruto." He gave him a small smile as he continued; "I just wish that you would have told me sooner. I thought that we had a better relationship than that." He was trying to be as reassuring as possible; he wanted his son to feel like he could talk to him about things.

"I'm sorry," he said as he looked at his feet, suddenly finding them interesting. It made him wonder why Kurama would tell their father, it wasn't as if he were in a relationship with a guy. He'd had one relationship with one guy in high school and it didn't last very long.

"He, uh, said there's a new guy," Minato said awkwardly. He knew how to talk about girls with his sons, but guys were an entirely new topic. Talking about guys was something that a mother should have to do, not the father that had no idea about it. As he thought about it, he wasn't even sure what Kurama liked, seeing as his older son never seemed to date and when he did, he never introduced his dates to his father.

"I do not like Sasuke," Naruto quickly responded with a slight growl. He couldn't believe that his brother told their dad about Sasuke. It wasn't as if he actually had a crush on the guy, he found him attractive. Did that suddenly mean that he was going to date the guy?

"I never said that you did," Minato smiled. "In fact I never said anything about a Sasuke," he added. "Is that his name?" he asked. It didn't click to him that he meant Uchiha Sasuke; he thought it was just some random Sasuke his son had met.

"No, Sasuke is a jerk," Naruto said, his denial in full swing. "He is a rich, pompous, asshole, who thinks he's better than everyone else," the younger Namikaze said as he stood up, wanting to get away from the conversation. “Plus how can I even like someone I hardly know?”

Minato chuckled at his son's reaction, "Okay, you don't like him, I get it." He had a small smile on his face as he saw the light tint of pink on his son's face and he knew that his son was at least attracted to the other boy.

"Right, well, I've got to go," Naruto said quickly as he left the room. He wanted to be away from the conversation, hoping that the blush on his face would go away before he saw his brother and the Uchihas.

**NS**

Naruto, Sasuke, Kurama, and Itachi all sat around a conference table at Kurama's offic. Sasuke and Naruto refused to sit next to each other, yet they both kept passing glances at one another. Naruto was surprised when Itachi was once again dressed up and Sasuke was casual. He wanted to ask why, but he figured it was better not to after what happened last time. Naruto started to get bored as Kurama talked business so he started using a pencil to draw on the table in front of him.

"Stop that," Kurama said as he snatched the pencil away angrily from his brother. "Pay attention," he added as they all looked at the blonde.

Naruto just sighed as he looked once again at Sasuke. He was wearing a jacket and a scarf again, which made Naruto think he was crazy. The blonde had taken off his jacket about a minute after he sat down and yet the youngest Uchiha sat there with a jacket and scarf. The man didn't look cold, which just made Naruto wonder why he'd keep it on. He looked at Itachi to see if maybe it was just that all Uchihas were just naturally cold people, but he saw that even the older Uchiha had taken off his jacket. _'Is he hiding something? Or maybe he's just abnormally cold. It'd make sense I guess for his body to be as cold as his heart,'_ Naruto thought as he continued to stare at Sasuke.

"Are you planning to pay attention or are you going to continue to stare at me?" Sasuke asked as he looked at the blonde. He could feel his eyes on him for the past few minutes, which was rather unnerving. He passed it off though as if he didn't care by covering it with an arrogant smirk.

"Aren't you hot?" Naruto asked. It was a completely irrelevant question if you didn't know what was going on in the blonde's mind, but it made perfect sense to the him as to why he was asking it.

"What?" Sasuke asked. He looked at the blonde as if he were an idiot, which was exactly what he thought he was.

"The layers," Naruto clarified. "Everyone else took their jackets off but you still have yours on," the blonde pointed out.

Itachi smirked as he thought about the tattoo on his brother's neck that he was probably trying to hide. He knew that it was one of the things Sasuke wasn’t proud of and he usually tried to hide it with the collars of his shirts, but his casual shirt weren’t collared like a business shirt. He knew that Sasuke probably didn't want them to know because then it might end up in the article or the blonde might try to take a picture of it.

"Shut up, moron," Sasuke glared at the blonde as he unconsciously rubbed his neck where the tattoo was under the scarf. He wasn't going to elaborate any further; he felt that he didn't need to explain himself to anyone. _'Stupid moron asking stupid questions,'_ he thought and he continued try to make Naruto’s head explode with his mind.

Naruto looked at him and could see that the raven-haired man was sweating. "Don't be stubborn, you're sweating," he said to Sasuke, showing he wasn't just going to give up. Sasuke just continued to glare at him making it clear that he wasn't going to back down either. "Fine if you want do it the hard way, we’ll do it the hard way," Naruto said as he started to climb over the table at the other man.

"What are you doing you moron," Sasuke hissed as the blonde quickly and aggressively climbed on top of him, knocking them both to the ground so that Naruto was straddling him. Sasuke blushed a little as he noticed the position they were in, but the blonde didn't even seem to notice. "Get the hell off of me," Sasuke said, trying to push him off. Naruto just worked at the loose knot that Sasuke had tied in the scarf, quickly getting it undone, and ignoring Sasuke's annoyed screams.

"Get him off," Itachi ordered Kurama as he pointed to the blonde. He knew the blonde was probably harmless, but he was still going to protect his little brother. Itachi also wasn't going to deal with the lawsuit that might come if Sasuke tried to kill the blonde.

"I promise he's harmless," Kurama said nervously. "Naruto get off," the redhead said, feeling as if he were commanding a dog.

The blonde was tugging at the scarf when Kurama pulled him off, causing the scarf to come with. "Ha, I got it!" Naruto cheered and Sasuke straightened himself up, fixing the chair as he sat back down and once again looked as if he were going to attack the blonde. That was when his eyes zoned in on Sasuke's neck, "Is that a tattoo?" The blonde was suddenly excited, "Does anyone know you have a tattoo? Can I get a picture of it? I didn't know Uchihas got tattoos, I thought that would be taboo."

Sasuke started to rub his temples, feeling a headache coming on. "Will you shut up," he seethed as he tried to pull the collar of his shirt up high enough to cover the tattoo. He was suddenly feeling very self-conscious about it as the blonde continued to talk.

"Come on, it's kind of cool looking, let me get a picture of it," the blonde grinned as he looked for his camera.

"This is way off topic," Sasuke said, trying to get the focus off of him and back to the reason they were there so they could leave sooner.

"When'd you get it?" Naruto asked with a smile as he finally found where he had put his camera.

"Take a picture and I'll break your camera," Sasuke threatened. By the tone of his voice and the look on his face everyone in the room could tell that he was serious.

"Don't be like that, bastard," Naruto grinned. He couldn't believe that Sasuke had a tattoo; it made him seem so much more human. Before he seemed like some kind of expensive porcelain doll that no one could touch and was just perfect. "Seriously, when'd you get it?" he asked.

"When I was young and dumb," Sasuke mumbled and crossed his arms, not looking at the blonde. He didn't want to explain it or event talk about it, he wasn't going to give them some opportunity to write about a decision he made when he was younger and had a fake ID. Back then he would find ways to disguise himself and make sure that no one would recognize him just from what they saw on TV.

"You're what, in your early twenties? You can't be that old so it couldn't have been that long ago," the blonde pointed out.

"Can you shut up and can we please just get this over with?" Sasuke asked, wanting to leave, but knowing that he couldn't until the meeting was over. He didn't bother putting the scarf back on, as he folded his arms on the table and buried his head in his arms.

"Let's get back on the subject," Itachi suggested, stepping in to save his brother from the blonde's questions. "So, Naruto here is going to do the photographs, correct?" he asked, to which Kurama nodded. "Then are you going to do the interviews, or is someone else going to?" the older Uchiha brother asked.

"I'm going to do your interview and Naruto here is going to do Sasuke's," Kurama said. "I figure they are closer in age so they can probably relate to each other more," the redhead smiled.

Sasuke sat up as he mumbled, "Yeah maybe physically, but certainly not mentally." He was not happy about the idea of having to work with the blonde, he found him to be a new level of annoying. He didn't know what it was about him; he'd never had someone affect him so much.

"Sasuke," Itachi warned, making the younger Uchiha shut up and just rely on glaring. Itachi looked apologetically at the other two brothers, "I'm sure he'll have his attitude in check next time we talk." Itachi knew that was a lie, but they were businessmen and lying was part of what they did best.

After explaining where the photo shoot would take place and what days they'd do the interviews and where, the Uchihas could finally leave. "We'll see you guys tomorrow," Kurama smiled as he shook each of their hands. Sasuke smiled as he shook the redhead's hand and merely glared at the blonde. After the Uchihas left Kurama looked at his brother and said, "I don't think Sasuke likes you much."

"What made you think that?" Naruto laughed in response. On the inside, he frowned at the statement. It wasn't like he truly had a crush on the guy, but Sasuke was attractive – he'd have to be blind not to notice that. He knew that they’d have to find a way to tolerate each other if they were going to work together.

**NS**

"Please don't make me do it," Sasuke said as he stopped walking once they were outside the building. He was looking straight at his brother, completely serious about his request. "I'm serious Itachi, I don't ask for much, but I'm asking you to please don't make me do this stupid interview. Please don't make me work with him," he frowned.

"Sasuke, stop acting childish and just do what I ask you to," Itachi said as he stopped in front of his brother. He was hoping that for once Sasuke wouldn't be stubborn and would just go along with what he asked of him.

"But the guy is a moron," Sasuke argued. "He has tattoos on his face," the raven emphasized. "Who does that?" the young Uchiha scoffed. He couldn't believe that he was being forced to work with someone that he felt he had nothing in common with.

"A young, dumb teenager," Itachi smirked as he briefly looked at his brother's neck. "You know, you two aren't that different in some ways," he said as he started to walk toward his car.

Sasuke put his hand over his tattoo, again feeling self-conscious about it. He bit his lip as he thought, _'I am nothing like him.'_ He refused to believe that there was anything that he and the blonde had in common.


	5. Campaign

**A baby is born with a need to be loved - and never outgrows it. ~Frank A. Clark**

"It's election time again," a snake like grin spread across a pale face. The man's golden eyes sparkled as he thought about the meaning behind those words. "Do you know what that means?" he asked. He let his long hair fall into his face, as he leaned back in his chair.

"You are going to run for mayor," the other occupant replied. He knew this because the man ran every year and every year he lost in a landslide. He didn't know why he thought that year would be different, however the look on his face told him that the man had a plan, a good one that would make him win the election. "Orochimaru, how are do you plan to defeat Namikaze Minato? The man has won every election he has ever been in and people love him," the man pointed out. Orochimaru was a businessman and not one that people generally trusted; therefore Kabuto was wondering how he was going to make people vote for him instead.

"That is where you come in," the man said confidently. He pushed his long black hair out of his face he straightened up and continued to speak; "I need you to get as much dirt as possible on the Namikazes and when I say Namikazes I mean all of them. A family can ruin a campaign." He grinned at the thought of destroying Minato for good. After a moment of thought about destruction he said, "And while you're at it, get some on the Uchihas as well." He knew that they were working together and hoped that he could take them both down at the same time. "They're working together, it's the perfect time to do so," he explained further.

Kabuto had started going onto Orochimaru's computer to get information about the Namikazes when Orochimaru had started to talk about the Uchihas. He was writing down Minato's campaign trail, their address, and where Kurama's office was. "Why the Uchihas?" Kabuto asked, pushing up his glasses as he looked up from the pad of paper he was writing on.

"They are my top business rivals, I wish to destroy them," Orochimaru explained. "What better way to do it than to kill two birds with one stone?" the man gave an evil smirk. "Think about it, I could have the highest grossing business _and_ I could be mayor. I could have it all," he said with a grin as he stood up. "I'd practically own this town and the people who live in it," he told the silver haired man. "I just need enough for a rumor," he said, looking at the other man to make sure he understood. He knew the other man would help him in the hopes that they would succeed and he'd have some control over the town as well.

The man knew it was true, Orochimaru was the only person who dared to run against Minato each year, everyone else was waiting for the number of terms he could serve ran out. "I'll do what I can," Kabuto assured the man before walking out of Orochimaru's office. He didn't know what kind of rumor he'd be able to start, but he knew that it'd have to be good in order for Orochimaru to be able to win the election and take down the Uchiha Corporation. _'As long as the Uchihas don't try to kill me,'_ Kabuto thought, remembering what he'd heard about what they may be able to do and the fact that they may have a violent streak. According to people who knew them, Itachi was protective of his baby brother and was not kind to those who messed with him. Everyone knew the Uchihas were a force to be reckoned with, they were silent predators that were following in their parents' footsteps.

**NS**

Naruto saw Kurama in the living room, going over the monthly budget for the magazine. "Hey, do you know where dad is?" He knew if anyone could give good advice it was his father.

The redhead looked up at his brother and smiled as he answered, "I think I just saw him go into the kitchen." He watched as his brother muttered a quick "Thanks" and walked away.

Naruto walked into the kitchen to find his father quickly grabbing lunch to take to his office. He didn't even notice his son walk in as he quickly made himself a sandwich. "Hey dad," Naruto said with a weak smile as he stood on the opposite side of the counter.

"Oh, hey Naruto," Minato smiled at his son. "How are things going?" he asked, trying to make small talk as he got himself a bottle of water.

"Actually I was hoping for some advice," Naruto said. He didn't know how to handle the Sasuke situation and he knew that his father would give him the best advice; he always seemed to tell him the right thing to do. The blonde didn't know what to do when you found guy physically attractive and yet you hated him so much that it made you want to punch him every time they opened their mouth.

Minato looked toward the hallway to his office, he was extremely busy. He had not only his normal duties, but also to prepare for the campaign. "Now really isn't the best time kid." He gave him a small smile as he tried to explain himself, "You know with elections and all I'm just really busy, do you think we could talk later?" he asked as he looked at his watch. He had a meeting with his campaign advisor in a half an hour and still had a lot to do before hand.

Naruto frowned at his answer and said, "How much later? I kind of need help now." Minato was a great father, even better when it wasn't election time. He was great at keeping a town together, but when it came to knowing his own sons he could sometimes be clueless.

"I promise, we'll talk later," he said as he grabbed his food. "Just let me finish up some paper work, alright kid-o?" he assured his son as he made his way out of the room, not noticing his son's frown. He quickly started to forget about the conversation and started to concentrate on the election.

Kabuto sat outside, taking pictures of Minato walking away from his frowning son. "This is gold," he said to himself as he continued to take pictures, smiling the entire time. _'I can picture the campaign now. If Namikaze Minato can't help his own son, how can he help you?'_

Inside, the blonde just stood there, disappointed. "I'm not a kid," Naruto said to himself while he glanced in the direction his father had left. "I like him better when he's not working on elections," the blonde said to himself as he looked down at the counter.

"I think we both do," Kurama said from behind him. He was standing in the doorway, smiling at his brother. He was trying to cheer his brother up, but it didn't seem to be doing the trick. "Just talk to him tonight, I'm sure when he's less busy then he'll be happy to listen," the redhead told his brother.

"I just wanted his advice and he couldn't even give me two minutes of his time," Naruto started brooding. He hated being ignored, especially by his own father. The blonde walked into the living room and sat on the couch.

Kurama walked next to him and playfully shoved him as he sat next to him and said, "Come on that's not the Naruto I know, cheer up." The blonde still didn't smile and so Kurama said, "Look if you want someone to talk about Sasuke with, I'm here." He grinned as he saw the blush that over took Naruto's face.

"I didn't want to talk about him, I just wanted advice on how to deal with him," Naruto said. "I wanted to know how to make him stop being a jerk," the blonde said, trying to get his brother to stop teasing him about Sasuke. "You know so I don't punch him in the face," he added.

"How about this," Kurama said, making Naruto think that he might actually give him some good advice. "Screw him and get it over with." The redhead grinned as he continued, "It'll make you both happier and maybe you'll find that stick that's up his ass." Naruto punched him in the arm as Kurama laughed, "What you'd make him loosen up, literally." He just smiled and added, "But seriously, don't punch him, I need him to be cooperative and not be bruised."

"Stop being an asshole," Naruto said, though he couldn't help but laugh a little at what Kurama said. "I want some real advice," he said with a small smile. "Not that I'd really expect it from you anymore," he mumbled.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" the older Namikaze asked angrily. He'd always been there for his brother so he couldn't understand why the blonde was mad at him.

"Why the hell would you tell dad?" Naruto asked, looking genuinely hurt by his brother's actions. "I trusted you and you went and told him, why would you do that?" he asked with a frown. There was a mix of anger and sadness in his eyes that told Kurama that Naruto truly felt betrayed.

"I knew that you wouldn't tell him, someone had to," he said, not completely proud of his actions. "He needed to know, just incase something does happen between you and Sasuke. Or even you meet someone else. If he doesn't know and isn't ready to deal with it, we both know that it would be worse," Kurama explained.

"It's just," the blonde started, trying to find the words that he wanted to say. "It wasn't your place to tell him," Naruto argued. He felt his emotions getting the best of him as he said, "I was going to tell him when I was ready." He paused before saying, "I think he's disappointed that I wasn't the one to tell him."

"I knew he wouldn't be mad," Kurama reassured him. "I was trying to do you a favor," he explained. "I wasn't sure that you were ever going to tell him," he added. He just smiled and reminded the blonde, "He isn't mad at you."

"I know," Naruto agreed. He knew that his brother had his best interest at heart so it was difficult to stay mad at him. "Just, next time I tell you something, can you let me tell dad?" he asked with a small smile.

"Deal," Kurama laughed. "And I know I was joking before, but my real advice is to just suck it up and deal with it," Kurama said, he wished that he could give his brother better advice. "Just try to befriend him and if that doesn't work then just do what you have to and get it over with," he said, feeling good about his brotherly advice. "Just remember after this you'll never have to see him again," he smiled.

"Thanks Kurama," Naruto smiled as he looked at his brother. He wouldn't say it out loud, but he couldn't help but wonder, _'What would I do without him sometimes?'_

"What are brothers for?" the older Namikaze smiled as he put his arm around his younger brother. It was times like that he was glad that he and his brother had a good relationship.

The blonde took a deep breath and let himself smile, knowing everything was okay. Naruto gave a small smile before grinning and joked, "You know I've always wondered that."

"You're going to regret saying that," Kurama told him as he started fighting his little brother. It was just the normal sibling fighting. Kurama had Naruto in a headlock and his arm bent back awkwardly, making Naruto say sorry before he let him go.

"Ouch, that hurts," shouted Naruto. "Let me go," he begged. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry," he cried out. "Please," he begged as Kurama laughed and let him go. He loved being the older brother, feeling it was his duty to pick on his younger brother.

"Let that be a lesson to you," Kurama grinned, thinking he'd won. "Naruto!" he shouted as the blonde jumped on his brother attacking him as his brother did to him. "Let me go you little brat," he yelled, trying to fight back.

"Not a chance," Naruto laughed as they fought like two little kids. They were rolling around on the living room floor, kicking and pulling arms behind each other's backs. They were partly crying in pain and partly laughing at their antics, as neither were actually doing anything to really try to hurt the other.

Kabuto had moved to the bushes outside of the living room living room window so that he could watch Kurama and Naruto, with a camera in hand. He knew that the only thing Minato would be doing was paper work, but he figured he could find his sons doing something scandalous. _'I wonder if I could make this picture look incestuous,'_ he thought as he looked at the two boys rolling around on the ground fighting. He figured it was worth a try as he snapped a few shots. _'I might have better luck at that with the Uchihas, their relationship is already weird,'_ he thought about the other brothers he was supposed to sabotage. He looked through the pictures, seeing that none of them really portrayed what he wanted them to, but he kept them so that he could show Orochimaru later figuring if anyone could find an angle it would be him.


	6. It Begins

**Lust fades, so you'd better be with someone who can stand you. ~Alan Zweibel and Jessie Nelson**

Naruto was getting his equipment set up and ready to do the photo shoot. He was going to take pictures of Itachi first and Sasuke the next day. He figured the brothers were pictured together enough that it would be nice to have them photographed separately for the piece, especially since they were interviewing them separately. "So, you left your brother at home?" Naruto asked with a smile when he saw that Sasuke wasn't there.

"I told him to come with but he just mumbled something about you," Itachi answered as he looked at the blonde. He was sitting on a chair, waiting for the blonde to be ready. He looked rather tired and over worked, as if he weren't taking his own advice.

"Your brother doesn't play nice with others, does he?" Naruto asked as he positioned Itachi how he wanted him to sit on the chair. He looked at how it looked from far away and adjusted the lighting to see the man's face better.

"Not particularly," Itachi answered after thinking about his brother's lack of social skills and friendships. "He doesn't really talk to a lot of people," Itachi said, thinking it might explain his brother's behavior a little bit.

Naruto once again stepped back to look at how the picture would look. "So, you know what would help with the picture?" he asked. The Uchiha raised an eyebrow questioningly, but didn't say anything. "If I could see your house," he said. "It would just give me more of a feel for your personality and it'd be the perfect back drop for the picture," the blonde tried to explain.

"No," Itachi said bluntly. His expression was cold and uncaring, which told Naruto that he wasn't going to change his mind. He just sighed and didn't bother replying; knowing that there would be no convincing the Uchiha.

"Fine," he sighed. He walked over to where he had some other pieces for the set. The pieces were more artistic and he felt it might bring more life to the pictures. "That chair isn't staying there," he said as he grabbed a different back ground to hang up.

"Yes it is," the man said. Naruto stopped walking as he looked at dark haired man. "This photo shoot is going to be simple and the way I want it, or it's not going to happen at all," he said authoritatively. As an Uchiha, he was used to getting his way, that wasn't going to change.

Naruto frowned, _'So much for creativity. Stupid Uchihas, they're such bastards.'_ He just put his things down as he said, "Fine, let's just get to work then."

**NS**

"You're not supposed to be here," Kakashi said as he leaned on the doorframe of Sasuke's office. He was wearing his usual half smirk, half smile combination. He loved to mess with Sasuke, the young Uchiha always got so aggravated that it provided plenty of entertainment. It wasn't as if Sasuke would always show his aggravation, in fact to most people he was good at hiding it. Kakashi, however, could tell when he was annoyed. The raven's eyebrow would start to twitch and he had an annoyed scowl on his face that said, _"Get the fuck away from me"_ and it only made the older man want to stay more.

"Shut up," Sasuke said as he rolled his eyes. "You're not the boss of me, you can't tell me what to do," he leaned back in his chair with a satisfied smirk. "Want to know why? Because I'm your boss," he said arrogantly.

"Well guess what?" Kakashi smiled as Sasuke looked at him with a bored expression. "Itachi left me in charge today. He said to take care of things while he was busy," the silver haired man continued to smile. "In fact, he said that if you came here today to yell at you send you home," he said with a slight arrogance as Sasuke looked at him skeptically. "Okay so those weren't his exact words, but close enough."

"I'm not leaving," Sasuke crossed his arms. He wasn't going to let Kakashi tell him what to do, even if he used to be his mentor. The man wasn't his boss anymore; it was now the other way around.

"Fine, I'll call Itachi," Kakashi shrugged as he pulled out his phone dialing Itachi's number. Sasuke looked at him wide-eyed, hoping that he was bluffing. When the man on the other line picked up he could tell it was Itachi and he didn't sound happy. "Yeah, Sasuke's here," Kakashi confirmed. Itachi answered but Sasuke couldn't understand a word of it, he could only hear the slight annoyance in his voice. "Okay," the man said happily as he hung up his phone. He turned to Sasuke and said, "Your brother said to get down to the studio, _now._ "

' _God damn it!'_ Sasuke cursed in his head as he watched the other man walk out of his office. He grabbed his things and headed out of the office, knowing if he didn't then he was just going to have it worse later. Somehow he was an adult and yet he was still slightly scared of his older brother no matter how hard he tried to deny it.

**NS**

When Sasuke arrived at the studio, Naruto looked shocked. After what Itachi said earlier he wasn't expecting Sasuke that day. "What are you doing here?" Naruto asked as he looked at the youngest Uchiha. He had stopped taking pictures to look at him, his eyes scanning over the other man’s body. It seemed as if the suit he wore was tailor-made for him, it fit his body perfectly.

"He's here because I told him to come here," Itachi said, pulling Naruto out of his daze and back to the older Uchiha. He was a little embarrassed when he realized that one look at Sasuke made him forget about the photo shoot. He knew that he should have been a professional and just continued on with it, but he couldn't help it. Despite being an asshole the man was physically perfection. _'If only he weren't such an asshole,'_ Naruto thought as he looked at Sasuke, though the thought of him being an asshole only made the blonde start to look at his ass. The raven was turned away from him, looking around the studio trying to find something to do so that he could ignore him. _'Damn that ass is perfect,'_ he thought as he stared.

Itachi just sat in the chair the blonde had given into letting him sit on, watching the two, slightly amused. "So are you going to continue to ogle my little brother, or are we going to finish this?" Itachi asked, causing Naruto to scratch the back of his neck nervously.

"Ha, sorry," he licked his lips and put his camera back into position. The younger Uchiha in the corner of his eye was somewhat distracting, causing him to sometimes look over and not get a good shot.

"Sasuke," Itachi said, getting the other's attention. "Why don't you come sit in the chair next to Naruto," he suggested. Sasuke just nodded, reluctantly, and walked over to the chair. Itachi smiled, knowing that the chair put Sasuke out of the blonde's sightline.

Naruto quickly went back to work, taking pictures of Itachi, he almost turned on a fan, but Itachi glared at him. Sasuke watched as the blonde worked, he discreetly stared at the blonde's figure. He couldn't help but notice the man was well built, it didn't seem as if there were an ounce of fat on him and if there was he was hiding it well. The blonde had taken off his over shirt and was just wearing a white tank top, which was a nice contrast to his tan skin. Sasuke just watched as the man moved around trying to find ways to make Itachi look less business-like and more personable. He wasn't succeeding very well as the man seemed to always wear the same look on his face unless he was amused or annoyed by something. _'Why couldn't he just be ugly? It'd be so much easier to ignore him,'_ Sasuke thought, trying to contain a sigh.

Sasuke had started to eye the blonde, he knew that Itachi had noticed but he didn't really care. _'For being an idiot he's rather attractive,'_ the raven thought letting his eyes wander. _'If only he could just shut his mouth,'_ he thought as his eyes passed over the blonde's well-defined body.

Naruto noticed that his facial expression changed when he looked in Sasuke's direction, it was suddenly a look of amusement. Naruto didn't understand why looking at the younger Uchiha would make Itachi amused, that was until he looked back and noticed that the raven was checking him out. When their eyes met, Sasuke immediately looked away, finding his well polished nails rather interesting instead. Naruto just grinned and went back to his job.

"So this is all you do?" Sasuke scoffed. He wasn't sure why he asked the question, it wasn't as if he were one to actually start conversation.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Naruto asked angrily as he continued to take the pictures. His concentration was off, so it probably wasn't the best picture that he'd ever taken.

"It just doesn't seem that hard," Sasuke shrugged. "I mean anyone can work a camera, what's so difficult about that?" the raven asked.

"I have to direct people, I have to try to get the best camera angle for people, a lot goes into it," he said with a frustrated growl. He knew that he couldn't bash Sasuke's face in; he had to wait until after the photo shoot. Kurama would be mad if he took a picture of a bruised up Sasuke.

"So did you have to go to school for this?" he then asked. Itachi was surprised that Sasuke was talking at all, let alone to the blonde.

"Yeah, why do you care?" the blonde then asked. If Sasuke was going to ask questions, he was going to start countering them with his own. The raven just shrugged and the room went silent again, not even the assistants standing by to help were saying anything. After about five more minutes Naruto said, "Okay I think we've got some good ones."

"So, we're done here?" Itachi confirmed as he got up out of the chair. Naruto had repositioned him quite a few times, trying to get something that made the Uchiha at least a little friendly. He had the same feeling he was going to have the same problem with Sasuke. It seemed that Uchihas didn't like to show their emotions. "Yeah we're done," Naruto smiled. "Kurama will interview you tomorrow," he told him while Itachi nodded, immediately pulling out his phone to check his e-mail.

Itachi started to leave and Sasuke started to follow behind him, when Naruto pulled him back, "Hey Sasuke, wait." The raven turned toward him, looking at him expectantly. He didn't say anything; rather, he just stared impatiently. "Look, we have to work together tomorrow and I feel as if we got off on the wrong foot. Can we just start over?" Naruto asked with a smile.

"Hn," Sasuke shrugged. It wasn't really an answer, but the blonde took it as a confirmation.

"Good," he smiled. "Hi, I'm Namikaze Naruto," he grinned as he held out his hand to shake Sasuke's.

"Moron," Sasuke smirked. He didn't shake the blonde's hand, but Naruto was sure that he could see a hint of a smile hidden in the smirk.

**NS**

Kurama was going through the layout of that month's magazine. He was finalizing what would be on which pages and how many pages each article got. There was a knock on the door, causing him to look up. "What's up Naruto?" he asked with a smile.

"I just wanted to show you some pictures I got of Itachi earlier," the blonde said as he stood in the doorway. The red head signaled him to come into the room. Naruto walked in and sat across from his brother, handing him the camera to go through the photos.

Kurama started to flip through the photos, not bothering to take the time to plug it into the computer knowing that he was only taking a quick look. Naruto watched as the older Namikaze scanned through the pictures, obviously trying to decide which ones he liked best. "These are good," Kurama said. "A little business like, but good. Try to get something more personal with the younger one."

"Thanks," Naruto said. “He was happy that his brother liked the pictures despite the fact that way the Uchiha was acting, he didn't really want to attempt to get Itachi to come in for more picture taking. He found it difficult to get a good shot of the man; he only hoped that Sasuke wouldn't be as difficult the next day. "I tried to get him to show me his house, you know for inspiration. He just wouldn't go for it."

"Then try to get Sasuke to," the red head said with a small smile. He liked the idea of getting something more personal on the Uchihas, showing a side that no one else had ever seen.

"Yeah, I'll try," Naruto said, doubting that would happen. "But the guy still doesn't seem all that fond of me," he added as an after thought.

"So," Kurama hesitated as he looked at his brother. "Are you going to be able to work with Sasuke tomorrow?" he asked, knowing Naruto and the young Uchiha didn't get along very well. He leaned back in his chair, waiting the answer while Naruto seemed to be thinking about it.

"I think so," he finally said. "I mean he's still cold towards me, but today seemed different somehow," the blonde shrugged. "Just a little less annoyed, you know?" Naruto smiled a little. "I think we'll be fine," he informed him.

"Good," the red head nodded. "Be sure to try to get some good information on him," he instructed. "There isn't much known about the guy, I'd like to have the magazine that changes that," he smirked.

Naruto just laughed, "Will do." He stood up and Kurama handed him back his camera. "I can't promise anything though, I said he didn't completely hate me, not that he liked me," the blonde added. Kurama just nodded with a forced smile as his little brother walked out of the room.


	7. The Uchiha House

**Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place. ~Zora Neale Hurston**

"You have until my lunch break is over to ask whatever it is that you want to ask," Itachi said, still looking at his computer as he typed whatever he was working on. He obviously wasn't very interested in telling about his life. His body language told Kurama that he wasn't going to get any truly good information out of the man.

"Don't you think that you should at least look at me while I ask you questions?" the red head asked, obviously not amused by the way the oldest Uchiha was acting. Part of him just wanted to smack his Uchiha arrogance off his face, the other part wanted to kiss it off. _'I wonder what would work better at getting him to pay attention, punching him or kissing him. Either one would probably get me kicked out of the building,'_ he pondered as he looked at the man.

"As long as I answer your questions isn't that all you need?" the other man asked. _'He could be a fun play toy,'_ Itachi thought while he looked the other man up and down while smirking. He knew that he was probably irritating the man, but he didn't care, that was his goal. If the man was going to ask questions about him, shouldn't _he_ have fun with it? It wasn't his fault that tormenting people was something that he found fun.

' _He's enjoying this,'_ Kurama realized. _'Well two can play that game,'_ a sly smile spread across his face. "You're right, I'm sure I could always just use my imagination to fill the space on the page since you won't be cooperative," Kurama shrugged. He wasn't going to let the other man win. The red head knew that Itachi wanted him to get angry, but he wasn't going to give him the satisfaction.

"That's defamation of character," Itachi said in a bored tone. "Make up shit about me and I'll sue your ass," he smirked triumphantly, yet still keeping the monotone sound to his voice. "Don't forget, I have the best lawyers in the city," he reminded him calmly with hint of smugness.

"Well then why don't you just talk to me?" he said with a smile, only this time it was getting a little flirtatious. _'He could be fun to tame,'_ he thought, as if the man were some kind of wild animal. "You did agree to do the article, remember?" he asked.

"Ask your questions, maybe I'll answer," replied Itachi; leaning back in his chair with what was almost a smile gracing his lips.

"Are you gay?" was the first question that slipped out of his mouth. It had nothing to do with the article and what he'd write in it, he wanted to know for his own personal knowledge. He was guessing that by the way the oldest Uchiha was looking at him that the answer was yes, but he didn't just want to assume.

"Do you think I'm stupid?" Itachi asked. "I'm not going to talk about my personal life," he continued. "If you want to ask anything, ask about the company and things related to it," he said, very sure that he wouldn't slip up when answering the questions.

"That's a yes if I've ever heard one," Kurama replied with a low chuckle. "Come on, just tell me something about yourself that no one else knows," the red head said with a smile. "One personal thing that I can use," he said.

"Nice try," Itachi said. "Just so you know, you've wasted ten minutes. If I were you, I'd start asking your questions," he told the red head.

Kurama sighed and started to ask him questions that he knew the other man would answer. After the hour was up, he had plenty of information to write an article on Itachi, though none of it was very personal. All the questions were along the lines of, "How does it feel to be one of the youngest business owners in the world?" to which Itachi answered, "It feels good, it would be better if it would have happened under different circumstances." The only time it got anywhere near personal was in the last few minutes of the interview when he asked about Itachi's parents.

"Are you okay with talking about your parents?" Kurama had asked cautiously. He figured that it was a touchy subject for the Uchiha men, having lost their parents at such a young age.

"You can ask, that doesn't necessarily mean that I will answer," Itachi replied. There were certain things that he'd easily answer, other things that he refused to; therefore, it truly did depend on the question that the other man asked.

"What was it like to lose your parent's at such a young age? How did that affect you?" he asked. Itachi was silent as he looked across the desk at Kurama. The red head frowned, thinking that the an wasn't going to answer, _'Obviously it was too personal of a question.'_

"That's really none of your business," Itachi said, looking over at his computer screen, as if refusing to meet Kurama's eyes. Once he recollected himself he added, "It just made my brother and I grow up a little faster than normal."

"I'm sorry I really didn't mean to bring up a bad subject," Kurama frowned, feeling as if he should say something to lighten the mood again. _'Fuck, I didn't mean to upset him,'_ he thought, not meaning to anger the Uchiha.

Itachi looked at the clock, "Well, I have to get back to work. I believe that you have enough for your article." He sat up straight once again, "You know the way out."

Kurama stood up and started to make his way toward the door before he stopped and looked at the other man. He was still debating in his head whether or not he should ask the man out, he thought it might be weird after they finished on such a sensitive subject; however, he couldn't help but find himself attracted to the man. _'What could it hurt? I've already gotten every thing that I need for the article,'_ he thought, convincing himself. "I know that we don't know each other very well, but would you by chance like to go on a date with me?" he asked.

Itachi stopped what he was doing, truly surprised. For once he couldn't help but let it show, he wasn't expecting that question. After a moment of letting the question sink in, he narrowed his eyes in suspicion, "Are you trying to trick me into a date so you can get my guard down and ask me personal things for your article?"

"What? No," Kurama said. _'I hadn't thought of that, but that's brilliant!'_ He let out a small sigh as he said, "I'm truly interested in getting to know you." He leaned on the back of the chair he was standing behind and said, "I know I'm physically attracted to you, I just wanted to see if you're just a pretty face."

Itachi looked at him, trying to decipher whether or not the man was telling the truth. "Okay," he said, making Kurama grin. "But if I see anything in your article from what we talk about on the date, I won't think twice about snapping your neck," he said, the tone of his voice said that he was completely serious.

Kurama just smiled and asked, "Great, Friday at seven?" Itachi just nodded in response. He grabbed a blank piece of paper off of Itachi's desk and scribbled down a number. "I gave you my work number, that's my cell," he winked. "See you then," the red head smiled as he walked out of the room confidently.

' _This should be interesting,'_ Itachi thought as he watched the other man walk out of the room. _'What have I gotten myself into?'_ he wondered before going back to work.

**NS**

Sasuke looked at the set that was set up for him, it was very different from Itachi's. Itachi had a very simplistic set, very business like; his was more creative and abstract – for lack of a better word. It had some color to it and the chair he had used with Itachi was nowhere to be seen. "Are we going to get started, or what?" Sasuke asked as Naruto adjusted the lights, obviously not pleased with the way something was positioned.

"Sorry, I forgot how much shorter you are than your brother," the blonde smirked. He knew the comment would earn him a glare, mostly because there wasn't that much of a height difference, but he loved to tease the raven-haired man. He turned to see Sasuke with a harsh glare on his face and so he smiled and said, "What did I strike a nerve?"

' _Does everyone have to compare me to him?'_ Sasuke asked himself, though didn't let the thought read across his face as he made sure to keep his cold exterior. "Shut up you moron," the other man growled out.

"Fine then, let's get started," Naruto just tried to smile. _'So much for whatever kind of progress I made the other day,'_ the blonde thought with a small sigh. He looked at the other man, _'What the hell, he's already annoyed with me, might as well just ask.'_ Before the raven got in front of the camera, the blonde suddenly said, "We should do this a your house."

"Excuse me?" Sasuke asked as he raised an elegant eyebrow. His face was a mixture of saying _"No way in hell"_ and confusion. The statement alone was enough to stop him in his tracks.

"Just think of the pictures I could get at your house," Naruto said happily. "I mean the pictures I got with Itachi were so boring, but this would give me a chance to add a little personality to it, you know to show you guys aren't actually robots," he laughed.

"No," was Sasuke's quick statement. He knew that Itachi would not be happy if he brought him to the Uchiha manor. The house shared enough memories for them; it didn't need to be shared with everyone else as well. _'I can't let that moron poke around in my personal life, it just won't happen.'_

"Oh come on," Naruto said. "I promise you won't regret it," he said, trying to convince the Uchiha. "It's not like I'll use anything too personal, I promise," he added, hoping that would make the other man say yes. "Plus, we could do the interview at the same time, kill two birds with one stone," he said and he saw the man start to think about it.

Sasuke hesitated for a moment before he said, "Fine." Then he added, "But if I see anything in that magazine that is, as you put it, too personal, I will cut off your balls."

' _As if he could,'_ Naruto thought as he looked at the younger Uchiha. He didn't dare say it out loud, knowing that would kill any chances he had of seeing the inside of the elusive Uchiha household. "Okay, I get it," he said, holding back a small laugh as he grabbed his camera and followed the young Uchiha out of the studio.

"Then why don't I believe you?" Sasuke asked as he walked toward his car, which made Naruto want to drool. Naruto had a nice car, but it wasn't nearly as nice as Sasuke's Lamborghini Murciélago.

"Can I drive it?" Naruto said as he looked at the car like a kid in a candy shop. He was about to touch the car when Sasuke cut him off.

"Don't even touch it," Sasuke said as he grabbed his hand. "It was just washed I don't need _your_ hands all over it," he said as he looked at the blonde.

"Well can I at least get a ride in it?" the blonde asked, with hopeful eyes as he looked at the raven-haired man. "I mean wouldn't it just be easier to take one car instead of two?" Naruto asked.

"Then I have to drive you back here," Sasuke pointed out as he crossed his arms. He couldn't help but stare at the blonde as he looked at him, feeling a part of himself give in slowly. _'Damn it I hope he doesn't ask me again,'_ he thought as he made himself look away from the blonde and distracted himself by opening his car door.

"I guess," Naruto huffed. "But I'll get a ride in that car eventually," he grinned. "You're not getting rid of me until I do," he added as he walked over to his own car.

**NS**

They pulled up to the house, which was gated and rather large. The mansion made Naruto think, _'These guys have too much money.'_ They seemed to have it all. They had nice cars, a nice house, and though he had yet to see the inside he was sure it was nicely furnished as well and even probably professionally decorated.

They quietly walked up to the large door. Naruto didn't know what to say as Sasuke unlocked the door to the house and let blonde in. "Don't touch anything," Sasuke said as the blonde walked in.

Naruto nodded as he looked around the front room. He saw the line of shoes by the front door and the spotless white carpet and knew that he had to take his shoes off before even thinking about walking any further. He looked around, "Nice house."

"Thanks," Sasuke said with a hint of sadness in his voice. The raven took off his jacket and hung it up on the coat rack by the door.

"Did I say something wrong?" Naruto asked quietly as he did the same. He looked around to see that most things in the house looked at least ten years old. All of the pictures of them were from their childhood; there were even some with their parents where Sasuke was smiling.

"Just shut up," Sasuke said, not answering the question as he quickly walked into the other room, leaving no indication that he wanted the blonde to follow him. Once in the kitchen, he took a moment to lean against the wall, closing his eyes as he did so. _'Damn it, why did I let him come here?'_ he wondered, trying to listen for when the other man walked into the room.

Naruto walked into the room as quickly and quietly as he could and he noticed that Sasuke was taking a moment, obviously trying to shake off whatever effect thinking the décor and pictures in the other room had on him. The blonde frowned a little as he thought, _'I guess he's not just a jerk with no heart.'_ He couldn't help but find Sasuke's moment of vulnerability beautiful and he couldn't pass up the opportunity to get it on film. He raised his camera and got what he knew would be the only picture he'd get with Sasuke looking as soft as he did in that moment.

Hardly a moment later, Sasuke opened his eyes to see Naruto standing in front of him, camera in hand. He quickly straightened out, "What are you doing?" He looked a little insecure in that moment as he looked at the blonde, who had obviously caught him in a somewhat weak moment.

"I was just about ask if you wanted to get started," the blonde smiled, trying to act as if nothing happened. Sasuke just nodded and signaled for the blonde to follow him into the living room. Naruto looked down at the camera for a moment before following him as he thought, _'I think I'll keep that picture for myself.'_


	8. Closer

**Love is not blind - it sees more, not less. But because it sees more, it is willing to see less. ~Julins Gordon**

Naruto was acting as if he hadn't caught Sasuke in a vulnerable moment, mainly because he didn't want things to get awkward. "So," he started awkwardly, looking around. "Where do you want to take some pictures at?" he asked, not wanting to suggest a lot incase it might cause another reaction. "How about your room," he grinned; really wanting to see what the raven's room was like. _'Maybe I'll see if he actually does have a personality,'_ he thought as he laughed to himself.

"What's so funny?" Sasuke asked, looking at the blonde suspiciously. He was still trying to decide if he trusted Naruto or not. Part of him was still wondering why he even let him in his house.

"Just thinking," Naruto said nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck trying to think of an excuse. _'What's funny that I could be thinking about?'_ he quickly asked himself, slightly panicked. "About a show I saw last night, it was hilarious," he said.

Sasuke eyed the blonde, not truly believing him, "Really which show?" he asked as he sat on his couch, crossing his arms. Some how their photo shoot had gone completely off track and neither of them seemed to care.

"I don't know the name of it," he shrugged. He could tell that Sasuke didn't believe him so he said, "But people were falling on their face, it was really funny," he smiled. "So where are we doing the photo shoot?" he asked, trying to change the subject.

Sasuke just smirked at the answer, still not believing the blonde, "Here, you're not going anywhere near my room." He felt letting Naruto near his room was too personal and he didn't want Naruto anywhere near his personal items.

"Why? Do you have the hots for me? Are you scared to get me near a bed?" Naruto teased. He didn't mean for it to come out of his mouth and he immediately regretted it.

"You wish, moron," Sasuke scoffed. He looked at the blonde in someone disbelief that he said that, he hadn't actually thought of his attraction for the blonde until Naruto had mentioned. He became internally frustrated and he knew that now that the thought was in his head, it wasn't going to go away, _'Damn it why'd he have to say that, now I am actually thinking about it.'_

"Then show me your room," the blonde grinned, deciding that since he said it he might as well use it to get an upper hand. "Come on, I won't take pictures of anything you don't want me to," he added.

"No, we'll do the photo shoot here," Sasuke said, trying to stand his ground. Part of him was saying to do it though, especially since Naruto planted that thought in his head. He felt as if he had a devil and an angel, each on separate shoulders, talking to him. The devil was screaming, _"Do it, what's the worst that could happen?"_ Meanwhile, the angel was saying, _"You know Itachi would be mad at you."_

"Please," Naruto smiled. His smile had turned from innocent to sexy as he could see Sasuke's resistance dissolve slowly in front of him. _'Oh, he so thinks I'm hot,'_ he thought as he saw the look Sasuke was giving him. _'And I'm_ _so_ _going to exploit that.'_ He then added, "Come on, if we do a photo shoot just here, it'll be just like if we did one at the studio."

"Fine, but if you touch anything, I'll kill you," Sasuke then said. Naruto didn't take the threats seriously as he got up and followed Sasuke to the stairs.

He looked at the spiral staircase; it had decorations on the wall going up and in Naruto's eyes was just beautiful. "Can we get a picture here?" he asked as he stopped on the stairs. Sasuke looked at him as if he were crazy, "Just sit on the stairs." He looked at how Sasuke sat and frowned, "More relaxed than that, show that you aren't some robot." He meant for the last part to be under his breath, but once again, it seemed as if he didn't know how to censor himself and so it just came out.

"Fine," Sasuke sighed as he did as he was told. Naruto smiled as he got a picture of a more relaxed Sasuke. He liked how the younger Uchiha was different from his brother. Sasuke actually took a little bit of direction, even if he gave attitude while doing so, and he also didn't wear a suit. He made sure the angle didn’t show the other man’s tattoo, knowing he didn’t want it photographed.

After a few pictures, they went up stairs. They waked down the hallway and Naruto saw a large dark wooden door, "Whose room is that?" He knew that there had to be a lot of guest rooms in the house, but he somehow doubted that they put that nice of doors on guest rooms.

"Itachi's room," Sasuke answered. "I wouldn't touch it, unless you don't mind loosing a hand," the raven-haired man warned. Naruto's eyes widened and Sasuke chuckled, "Trust me, he'll find out somehow." Naruto had no doubt that there were probably cameras throughout the house.

The man continued to walk, but Naruto stayed where he was. "Come on, show me the room," he said excitedly. It intrigued him how Itachi didn't want anyone near his room, _'What could he have in there?'_ He looked at Sasuke, "Please."

"You're not going to convince me to do that," Sasuke said. "Just come on," the man continued. "Before I leave you behind," he then added as he continued to walk down the hall.

Naruto ran to catch as he muttered under his breath, "Asshole." He knew that Sasuke must have heard him because the man just smirked.

A few hallways later, Sasuke opened his door and allowed the blonde to enter the room. "No pictures unless I say so," Sasuke warned. He wasn't going to have his personal belongings all over some magazine.

Naruto could tell by the tone of his voice that he was serious, "Alright I get it." He looked around the room when something caught his eye, "Whoa, is that a sword?" He walked over as he looked at it through the glass, "Can I take a picture of it?"

"It's called a katana," Sasuke said as he looked at the blonde, obviously annoyed. "And no, you can't get a picture of it," he added. "I want you nowhere near it in fact," he said as he made the blonde step back.

"Yeah, yeah, fancy name for a sword," Naruto said, obviously not realizing how much Sasuke treasured the thing. "Just let me get a picture of you with it. It'll look cool," he grinned, still eyeing the katana that was hanging on the wall.

"You're not going to shut up until I say yes, are you?" the raven-haired man asked. He could see that determined look on the blonde's face as Naruto looked at him.

The determination then turned to another smile as he said, "You learn quickly." He then stepped into close proximity to Sasuke as he said in a low voice, "Please?"

Sasuke felt his heart rate go up a little as he stuttered a little, "F-fine." It was out of character for him to stutter; he didn't know what the blonde was doing to him. Sasuke stepped back as he regained his composure.

"Awesome," he said as he grabbed the Uchiha and messed up his hair. "I knew you were the cooler brother," he grinned as the other man struggled to get away from him.

"Don't touch my hair," Sasuke said, the demand coming out a little whinier than he had intended it to. He turned to the mirror that was hanging in his room and quickly fixed his hair, put it back into place.

Naruto watched, amused by the other man's actions. "You're such a girl," he said with a laugh. Sasuke glared, but it was ineffective when he started to lightly blush after Naruto said quietly, "But it's okay, Ialsolike girls."

Sasuke just stood there, a little shocked. He knew that the word "also" implied that the blonde was bisexual. _'What the hell has gotten into him today?'_ he wondered, realizing it was the third time Naruto had done something along those lines. "Let's just get this over with," the raven said, refusing to look at the blonde.

Naruto put the raven into various poses that ranged from normal to a little abstract. At times he'd try to push the envelope, but Sasuke would just glare at him and he would back off. Sasuke didn't normally like people touching him, but there was something about the blonde that was almost electric when they touched.

Several shots later, Sasuke laid back on his bed, "Are we done yet?" He was ready to get the other man out of his house, though by the lack of talking they'd been doing he knew that they'd still have to do an interview.

**NS**

Outside of the house, Kabuto looked around for some way to make it so he could see the second floor. _'I guess I could use the tree,'_ he thought. _'Why'd they have to go up stairs at all?'_ he wondered bitterly. He strapped his own camera so that it was securely hanging to the side of him with the strap around his neck. The light haired man sighed before he started to climb the tree, _'This better be worth it.'_

Once he was up the tree, he looked in the window to find no one there. He frowned, _'Not the right window.'_ He knew it would take him hours to find with window was the right one and by then he'd probably noticed or the two men would be done. _'I'll just follow them tomorrow, I'm sure it'll be more interesting than whatever they're doing now,'_ he thought as he leaned back against the tree he was sitting on.

**NS**

Naruto looked at Sasuke and smiled. He loved the way the raven-haired man looked in that moment, "Let me get a picture of you, don't move." He said as he moved toward the other man.

"What?" Sasuke said, almost sitting up before Naruto pushed him back down. "What do you think you're doing?" he asked angrily as the blonde straddled him. Sasuke was torn, he was angry, shocked and embarrassed all at once. Part of him liked the position but he tried to bury that part of him. He was trying to contain the light blush that came over his cheeks as he started to push the blonde off.

"Come on I just want one close up," Naruto said with a sly grin. "Nothing wrong with that, right?" he added as the other man stopped fighting him so much.

"Must you sit like this to do it?" he asked. He wasn't quite comfortable having Naruto so close to him.

"What's wrong with this position? I think I can get the perfect angle this way," he said with an anything but innocent smile. Sasuke went silent, giving Naruto the opportunity to take his picture.

Before either of them could say anything, Itachi clearing his throat interrupted them. "May I ask what you are doing to my little brother?" the man asked as he crossed his arms, staring at Naruto.

Sasuke immediately pushed the blonde off of him and to the floor, "He was just being an idiot." The raven sat up and continued by saying, "And now he's leaving." He could see the look on his brother's face that clearly meant he wasn't pleased with Naruto's presence.

"Why was he here in the first place?" Itachi asked the younger Uchiha. He had gone into protective big brother mode and there was no reversing it, Sasuke knew that.

Naruto quickly said, "We were just doing his photo shoot." He then thought, _'And I was just having some fun in the process.'_

Itachi was still trying to decide what to make of the situation; he could see that the blonde was able to push Sasuke out of his comfort zone. "Good, you can finish your photo shoot tomorrow, at the studio," he said sternly. "I don't need nude photos of my brother popping up somewhere," he then added with a smirk before walking away toward his own room.

"That was not where that was heading!" Sasuke yelled, embarrassed by his brother's words. He looked at the blonde, who just looked amused by Itachi's words. "Come on," the raven said. Naruto looked at him, somewhat confused, and Sasuke just said, "I meant it when I said you were leaving."

They started to walk down the stairs and Naruto said, "You know, you would look good in a nude photo shoot." Sasuke just kept walking, trying to ignore his words. "You know I'm doing a series of nude photos right now for an art exhibit," the blonde said. He then added, "I need more male models if you're interested."

"You wish, moron," he said as they reached the bottom of the stairs. "I can tell you right now, you'renevergoing to see me naked," he continued. "Let alone get pictures of it for everyone to see," he then added as an after thought.

They reached the door and Naruto put on his shoes and grabbed his coat. The raven opened the door, silently signaling for the blond to leave. "See you tomorrow," Naruto grinned. "Same time," he added. "We'll do the interview then too," he promised as he headed to his car.

Sasuke shut the door with a sigh and leaned against it with a small smile. "He's growing on you, isn't he?" Itachi asked, startling the younger Uchiha. "It's interesting, you usually don't take a liking to people so quickly," he pointed out.

"I don't like the moron," Sasuke said, refusing to admit any kind of attraction he may have to the blonde out loud. "He's just less annoying now," he shrugged as he stood up straight. "I'll be upstairs," he mumbled as he walked out of the room, just wanting to get out of the room and away from the conversation.

**NS**

" _So, how'd it go with the asshole?"_ Kiba asked as he talked to Naruto on the phone. The blonde had told him pretty much every little detail about what was going on and so he expected to hear more.

"Pretty good actually," Naruto said. "I don't think he's as bad as he tries to act," the blonde laughed. He was in his room, lying on his bed as they talked on the phone. He wasn't sure what to make of the day with Sasuke, sometimes the man was cold and yet he could see that there was a vulnerable side underneath it all.

" _Well that's a new answer,"_ Kiba laughed. _"What changed?"_ he was actually curious, it was the first time that the blonde hadn't really complained about the raven-haired man.

"I got to see his house," Naruto said. "There was just something different about seeing him in a new environment," he continued. He sat up on his bed, turning so that his feet were over the edge. The blonde looked down as he said, "It just kind of confused me."

" _How so?"_ the brunette asked. _"I mean you knew you thought he was hot,"_ he pointed out. _"Is there something more?"_

"I don't know," the blonde said. "That is what is so confusing," he huffed as his blue eyes looked down. "I just thought he was a bastard and then he goes and screws that up," he said, somewhat angrily.

" _So you like him?"_ Kiba asked with a laugh. He'd never seen his friend so frustrated over one person. Naruto usually knew what he wanted and went for it; he wasn't usually confused over matters of the heart.

"I know I'm attracted to him," Naruto said. "But who wouldn't be? The guy's gorgeous," he pointed out. "I mean maybe if I can get that stick out of his ass for more than just a few seconds at a time then I'd know," he sighed.

" _Bring him to the bar,"_ Kiba suggested. _"We're going tomorrow,"_ he reminded the blonde. _"Fill him with alcohol and see what happens,"_ the brunette said, liking the idea of possibly seeing a drunken Uchiha.

"That's a great idea!" Naruto said excitedly. He then took a moment to think as he said, "But even if I do find out that I like him, I don't even know if he's gay," he told the brunette. "I mean I think he is because when I flirted with him today he kind of acted like it, but that doesn't mean any thing," the blonde said. "He could just be socially inept," he added.

" _I think it's a given that he's socially inept,"_ Kiba laughed. _"But seriously, bring him to the bar, I'm sure you'll find out pretty easily,"_ he said, mainly because he wanted to see what would happen when a drunk Naruto and a drunk Sasuke got together.


	9. Bar

**To fear love is to fear life, and those who fear life are already three parts dead – Bertrand Russell**

Naruto and Sasuke sat in the studio starting the interview process. "So, do you care what kind of questions I ask?" the blonde asked. "Can I get personal or do I have to stick to business?" he clarified.

"That depends on how personal you're going for," Sasuke answered. "I don't care what you ask," he continued. "Whether I answer or not is an entirely different story," he shrugged, not even knowing that he'd given a response similar to that of his brother.

"Smartass," Naruto muttered. Sasuke just responded with something that was a mix between a smile and a smirk. "Alright, first question, are you single?" he asked, trying his best to keep his smile genuine.

"I think most people know the answer to that question," Sasuke replied. "But yes, I am," he continued. "Was that question for your knowledge, or the magazine?" he smirked, deciding to throw Naruto's game from the previous day back at him.

"Maybe a little bit of both," Naruto played along, refusing to let the other man fluster him. There was a moment of silence before he asked his next question, "People don't see you out often; do you have much of a social life?"

"No," he replied. Naruto looked at him for more of an explanation. The raven sighed, "I like to keep to myself," he explained.

"You're one of the youngest business owners alive," the blonde started. "Do you feel people might use you for your money?" Naruto then asked. He wanted to find out why the man kept people at an arms length, he thought it might be part of the reason.

"I just don't have a lot of time for a social life, if that is what you're trying to find out," Sasuke told him. "As you pointed out, I help run one of the largest companies in the country," he added.

"Do you feel you can talk about your parents?" Naruto then asked. "At your house there was a picture of your family, you seemed much happier," he said.

"Who wouldn't be happier when their parents were alive?" Sasuke then asked and his eyes suddenly saddened. "And to answer your question, no, I don't want to talk about my parents," he said. It was obvious that he was still damaged from their deaths years ago.

Naruto just nodded as he mumbled, "Sorry." He knew that he probably shouldn't have brought it up, with how young Sasuke was when it happened, it was bound to leave permanent damage. "So the first day I saw you, you weren't in a suit like your brother, why is that?" he then asked, trying to change the subject.

Sasuke's expression then turned angrier, "I wasn't working." He fidgeted in his seat, realizing he no longer had the upper hand in the interview.

"Well, why not?" The blonde asked. He knew that he had to hear the story behind it. The Uchihas were notorious for being workaholics, if he wasn't working then there had to be a good reason.

Sasuke hesitated, "My brother said I was working too much." He looked away, "I was forced to stop working for a few days." He could hear Naruto chuckle and he looked at him and glared while he demanded, "Shut up."

"See, I'm lucky, my brother can't do that," Naruto grinned. "It's great being your own boss," he added. "Though I thought you partly were, so how can he do that?" he then asked.

"We do both own part of the company, when we argue, our advisor steps in to help settle it," he said. "You can see whom he agreed with," he added bitterly.

"Indeed I can," the blonde smiled. Naruto leaned back in his seat as they continued to talk. He went over some points that Kurama wanted him to cover, though occasionally he'd make sure to ask things that he wanted to know.

"You asked me earlier about being rich and not trusting people, is that because you don't trust people because you're the mayor's son?" Sasuke asked toward the end of interview. He felt that he needed to turn it around to be in his favor once again.

"It's hard to know who wants to really be your friend and who just wants to be in the spotlight," Naruto said. "I think you know that though," he added. "It can be difficult for me sometimes, I can't imagine what it must be like for you," he frowned.

"It comes with the territory," was Sasuke's only response.

"I guess," Naruto replied. They had been talking for a long time and Naruto looked at his watch, which read 2 o'clock. _'I didn't think we'd been talking that long,'_ he thought. He knew they were pretty much done with the interview and Sasuke could leave and they would never have to see each other again, but he didn't want that. "So, any chance that I can get you to come out with me and my friend Kiba tonight?" he asked. "We're just going to this small bar, they have dancing and the occasional karaoke singer," he said. "But it's a lot of fun," he tried to convince him.

"No way in hell," Sasuke quickly answered. He wasn't going to go out and get drunk with the blonde; he already knew that he didn't hold his alcohol very well.

"Come on," Naruto said with a smile. "It'll be fun," he said as watched the raven get up to leave. He stood up as well, leaning over the table the separated them, "You know you need a night out," he gave a coy smile. "I promise, it won't be crazy, I told you it's a small bar," the blonde said. Sasuke remained silent and appeared to be thinking about it. "If you don't have fun I'll never ask again," he then said, standing up straight.

' _What the hell does he mean by that?'_ Sasuke wondered. "This is the last time we'll see each other, how would you even get a chance to ask again?" he asked, looking at him as if he were a moron. He wasn't sure what was going on in Naruto's mind and he wasn't sure if he wanted to know.

"You really think you're going to get rid of me that easily?" the blonde asked, making his way over to Sasuke's side of the table. "I thought we were just starting to become friends," he grinned as the other man's eyes widened in response. "Oh, don't deny it, you enjoy my company," he said, leaning on the table, close to Sasuke.

Sasuke looked at the blonde, whose eyes he knew were feigning innocence. For some reason he couldn't help but be drawn into the look as he said, "Fine." He crossed his arms and continued to say, "But you're driving, I'm not taking my car to some hell hole." He added to himself, _'And I'm not going to risk crashing my car.'_

"Awesome," Naruto grinned. "I promise you won't regret it," he added. "Be ready by 8 o'clock, that's when I'll pick you up," the blonde said. The raven was just about to turn and leave when Naruto said, "Oh, you really should give me your cell phone number, you know, just incase I get lost on the way to your house."

Sasuke looked at him skeptically, before picking up a pen that was sitting on the table and grabbing the blonde's hand. "If you abuse the fact that I'm giving this to you, I'll kill you," he threatened as he wrote the number down on Naruto’s hand. "I'm serious," he added before placing the pen back on the table and let the blonde's hand go. As he left, he reluctantly said, "I'll see you at eight." On his way out, he couldn't help but think, _'I already regret this.'_

Naruto watched him leave, making sure he was long gone before he looked down at his hand. He read the number, _555-0156_ , and grinned as grabbed his phone out of his pocket. The blonde immediately coded the number into the phone, thinking, _'There's no way I'm going to risk losing this.'_

**NS**

Sasuke looked at himself in the mirror. He was dressed casual, it was just a bar and so he wasn't going to dress up. He knew that if his attire didn't work Naruto would tell him. Sasuke adjusted his shirt, making sure it covered the tattoo the best he could. He wasn’t sure why he hadn’t gotten it removed yet. His phone rang and he saw a number that he didn't recognize, _'Must be Naruto.'_ He clicked answer, "Hello?"

" _Hey, I'm outside,"_ The blonde said from the other end of the phone. _"Are you ready or do you want me to come in for a little while? I know I'm early,"_ he said, kind of hopeful that Sasuke would say to come in.

"I'll be right down," Sasuke said before hanging up. He looked at his phone and sighed as he thought, _'Why not?'_ The raven went to the options under the last call received and saved it in his phone under the title: Moron. He smiled to himself, a small smile, as he looked at it. He quickly snapped out of it and proceeded out of the room, down the stairs, and out of the house, locking the door on his way out.

As the raven climbed into the car, Naruto said, "Took you long enough." He had that playful grin on his face that told the Uchiha that he really wasn't all that serious.

Sasuke just rolled his eyes as he said, "Just shut up and drive." The raven buckled his seat belt, "It's not my fault you were early."

"I didn't really expect you to take very long to get ready," the blonde said. "I guess I forgot about how long it must take you to do your hair," he grinned as he looked at the raven-haired man for a brief second.

"Shut up and keep your eyes on the road," Sasuke growled.

Naruto just laughed and responded by saying, "Yes princess." He expected the swift punch that came from the passenger side, so he just laughed it off. "Sorry, I really couldn't resist," he smiled.

"Don't make me regret coming out," Sasuke said as he looked at the blonde. As he looked at the man he couldn't help but think, _'It's hard to hate him when he looks like that.'_ He knew that had it been anyone else, he wouldn't be going out that night. _'Is that why he can make me do things that I don't want to?'_ he wondered.

**NS**

When they got to the bar, Sasuke could pick Kiba out of the crowd with out being told. "Let me guess, the brunette at the bar is your friend," he said as he looked around the bar.

"How'd you guess?" he asked. Most people could tell by their personalities and how they interacted, not just by looking at them.

"Only your friend would be stupid enough to get triangle tattoos on his face," Sasuke replied with a smirk. He looked around the bar and decided that Naruto was right in how he described it. The place wasn't too small, nor was it too big. He figured that had it been a Friday or Saturday it probably would have been packed. There were people on the dance floor and music playing, though it wasn't so loud like a club where you could hardly hear the person next to you.

"We got them together," he smiled, not letting Sasuke's negative attitude get him down. He then started walking over to Kiba and said, "Come on." The raven followed and sat next to Naruto at the bar. "Kiba this is Sasuke, Sasuke this Kiba," Naruto introduced them.

The brunette looked at the man, though he wasn't gay, he could see why Naruto would be attracted to Sasuke. The youngest Uchiha was physically appealing, even more so in person than he was in magazines or on television; it surprised Kiba because it was usually the other way around. "Hey, I've heard _a lot_ about you," Kiba grinned, making the blonde angry.

Sasuke just cocked an eyebrow as he shook the brunettes hand. "Really? Because I've heard nothing about you," Sasuke replied. He looked at Naruto for some kind of explanation as to why the man had heard so much about him.

"Kiba's my best friend," Naruto interrupted the conversation. "He likes to exaggerate, _a lot,"_ Naruto emphasized. Kiba just chuckled as Naruto tried to smooth things over with the other man. Rather than keeping the conversation going, the blonde signaled the bartender over, "Can we get some drinks?"

"Of course, what can I get you?" she asked Naruto politely. Her nametag said Aimi, she was a pretty girl, who probably was used to getting any man that she wanted. She had long brown hair with green eyes and the perfect figure.

"We'll take three beers," the blonde answered. He could see her looking at Sasuke; she was hoping he'd reply just so she'd be able to talk to him. He handed her his card for her to charge the drinks on, "It was my idea, so I'll pay."

"I'll be right back with that," she said as she turned and left to run the card and grab the drinks.

"Lighten up Sasuke," Naruto smiled. "At least try to have a good time," he nudged the raven, but he just grunted. "You wait, once we get a few beers in you, then you'll be having fun."

"I'm not drinking," Sasuke said. He wouldn't allow himself to get drunk, not in the presence of the hot blonde that was going to drive him home. "I mean one of us needs to be the designated driver, right?"

"Oh shut up and get that stick out of your ass," Kiba said. "Naruto won't drink too much, he loves his car too much for that," the man laughed. "So just have a drink and relax a little," the brunette encouraged.

The drinks then arrived and the bartender set them in front of the men before handing the card back to Naruto. "Is there anything else I can get for you?" she asked, in a flirty tone as she leaned over, making sure to show some cleavage to Sasuke.

"I'm good, thanks," Sasuke said. He looked around the bar, _'What's the worst that could happen.'_ The raven-haired man then took a rather large drink of the beer; _'I'm going to need this tonight.'_

A couple hours and several beers later, Sasuke found himself very drunk. Naruto had stopped drinking after he felt a light buzz, but Sasuke was far beyond buzzed at that point. The bartender thought that in his drunken state she'd be able to get the truth out of him and he'd easily take her home. "So, I get off soon," she said with a smile. "Do you want to do something?"

"Sorry," he said with a slight slur. "I don't like girls," he said rather bluntly with what seemed to be a slight smile. If he weren't drunk he would have just told her no, but it seemed a drunk Sasuke was very truthful.

Kiba looked at Naruto and said quietly, "Well now you know." The blonde just nodded as he looked at Sasuke. "I'm going to head out, have fun you guys," he said smiling at Naruto.

A few moments later, a man walked over, obviously having over heard the conversation. He was well built, tall, and handsome. His green eyes and dark hair made him even more appealing. He was dressed nice, though not overly so, and he was looking at Sasuke like he was a piece of meat. "I couldn't help but over hear your conversation," he said. He gave a dazzling smile as he continued by saying, "I'm Ryuu."

Before Sasuke could answer, Naruto stepped in, "I think you've had enough to drink." He looked at the other man, "Sorry, but I need to get him home." He pulled the other man off the bar stool and helped him walk straight.

"Bye Ryuu," Sasuke said happily as he held onto the blonde. The man looked frustrated, though Sasuke didn't seem to notice. "Where are we going?" the raven asked Naruto as the blonde caught Sasuke from tripping over his own two feet.

' _How did he manage to trip when I'm helping him walk?'_ he wondered. "I told you, I'm taking you home," the blonde answered as he helped Sasuke get to the car. He was happy that he didn't park far away otherwise he'd be having a much more difficult time.

"Are you taking me to your house?" the raven asked as Naruto put him into the car and buckled the seat belt for him before shutting the door. When the blonde got into the car Sasuke continued by asking, "Are you going to take me home and take advantage of me?" He had a drunken smile on his face as he started to brush his hand down the blonde's arm.

"No," the blonde said. _'As fun as that sounds,'_ he added to himself. "I'm taking you to your house where you will sleep this off," he said, making sure he controlled himself.

"Well, where's the fun in that?" Sasuke slurred as his hand traveled down to Naruto's leg. Naruto took a deep breath as Sasuke smirked, "You like that."

"S-Sasuke I need to drive," he said, as he pulled the other man's hand away from traveling any closer to his crotch. He didn't need Sasuke to be encouraged by knowing that he was getting a little hard just by Sasuke running his hand up and down his leg.

The raven pouted as he leaned back into the seat. "You don't want me?" he asked as he looked at the blonde.

Naruto was surprised by Sasuke's sudden change in emotions. The blonde frowned at the other man as he said, "Certainly not like this." He couldn't take advantage of him, not when he felt that he was just earning the man's trust. Sasuke gave him a knowing and lustful look through half lidded eyes. Naruto swallowed the lump in his throat as he thought, _'I'm doomed.'_

**NS**

When they pulled up to Sasuke's house, Naruto knew he'd have to help him out of the car. Once he did, he walked him up to the house, "Where are your keys?"

"I don't know," he said in a devious voice. "Why don't you look for them?" he asked feigning innocence.

Naruto leaned the other man against one of the large concrete poles. "Sasuke, I'm serious," he said as he looked at the other man, still supporting most of his weight. "Just get them out so I can help you get upstairs," he said.

"I wasn't kidding," he said quietly as he practically whispered in the other man's ear. He ran his hands down Naruto's chest, "Why don't you find them?" he asked and Naruto could feel Sasuke's hot breath on his neck.

' _Oh crap,'_ Naruto thought. "Fine, just tomorrow, remember you asked me to do this," he said as he used one arm to support the man and the other to search his pockets, causing them to be rather close. He was partly relieved and partly disappointed when he found the single key in the second pocket he looked in, the back pocket. He was using the fact that his hand was in the other man's pocket to feel up the other man. "Found it," he said before letting Sasuke slide to the ground so that he was sitting against the pole. He unlocked the door quickly and picked the man up off the ground. "Come on, time to get up," he said as he guided him up and into the house.

The alarm system started to beep, signaling that it needed to be deactivated. _'Crap, I don't know the code.'_ He heard it deactivate and it took him a moment before he realized why, _'Itachi must be up.'_

"You got my baby brother wasted," Itachi said as he looked at them. His arms were crossed and he didn't look very happy about it.

"Technically he got himself wasted," Naruto tried. At Itachi's glare he nervously mumbled, "Sorry." He then said, "I really didn't mean for this to happen."

"Hi Itachi," Sasuke smiled as he clung to Naruto, running his finger through the blonde hair. "I asked Naruto if he wanted to stay," he said as he wobbled, trying to stand up straight. The blonde straightened him out as Sasuke continued to play with Naruto's hair. " _But_ he said no," he then said, elongating the word but.

"You can go, I'll take care of him," Itachi said, pulling his brother out of Naruto's arms. Sasuke looked saddened by the action, but the blonde just nodded and left. Once the other man was gone, Itachi looked down at his brother as he mocked him by asking, "So you're making friends?"

Sasuke just had a drunken smile on his face. It was obvious the man was trashed, there was no way in hell he'd be hanging onto his brother the way he was if he weren't. "Yep," he responded happily as he let go of Itachi, trying to walk on his own toward the stairs.

Itachi watched, amused with his brother's actions. "You're going to regret this in the morning," he said as he reached for the younger man. The younger Uchiha pushed his hand away, refusing his help, as he tried to climb the stairs. Itachi sighed as he watched his brother fall on the stairs multiple times, "I know it doesn't hurt now, but it will tomorrow." The older Uchiha walked over, not giving Sasuke a choice as he picked him up, _'It feels as if he's a teenager again.'_ Sasuke didn't fight him, but instead was carried up the stairs as he started to fall asleep.


	10. Date

**Love is the master key that opens the gates of happiness. ~Oliver Wendell Holmes**

Sasuke was lying in bed; he had his arm over his eyes, trying to block the sun. His head was pounding and he felt slightly nauseous, but not to the point that he felt like he was going to throw up. _'Please, someone just shoot me,'_ he thought, letting out a groan after the pain grew worse when he turned his head slightly.

"So, did you have fun last night?" Itachi grinned from the doorway as he looked at his younger brother. Sasuke didn't respond vocally, he just raised his free hand to give Itachi the middle finger. "Do you even remember last night?" he asked, though again he received no response. "You were very fond of Naruto," he added.

"Must you talk so loud?" Sasuke asked as he pulled a pillow over his head, trying to get away from the noise, light, and conversation all at once. "Can't we just talk about this later," he whined a little. "You know, when I'm not hung over," he then said, trying his best not to sound as whiny as he had before.

Itachi just looked at the other Uchiha as he said, "I'll make you some breakfast." He stood up straight as he continued by saying, "Hopefully you'll be able to keep it down. I'll bring it up with some aspirin."

Sasuke just smiled a little as his brother walked out of the room. They both knew that when it mattered, Itachi really did care no matter how much he may tease Sasuke.

**NS**

A few hours later, Sasuke was still hung over, but not to the point that it was paralyzing. He'd gotten out of bed and was watching television on the couch. For the most part, Sasuke was tired and couldn't concentrate. He knew that he should be at work, but for once he didn't care, he was finding that a hang over would do that to a person. He knew that he could take however many days as he wanted to off, so one extra day to nurse a hang over would be fine. "I know why I'm not at work, but shouldn't you be?" he asked Itachi as the man sat next to him on the couch.

"What are you watching?" Itachi asked as he grabbed the controller from him, looking for something better to watch. Sasuke glared at him and the older Uchiha just chuckled and said, "I took off to take care of my baby brother." The other man's tone was far from serious, which just made Sasuke look at him skeptically, but didn't say anything about it.

"Right, nice excuse," Sasuke said as he watched the television as Itachi flipped through the channels. "I'm sure Kakashi was thrilled with you when you told him your excuse," he added.

"He was actually," Itachi replied. "He said it was just like old times," the older Uchiha smirked. "Remember your rebellious stage? When you got the tattoo," he reminded the other man. "He said it reminded him of those parties your friends would drag you to in high school and you'd get wasted and they'd have to call me to come get you," he continued. "You never could hold your alcohol very well," he added.

"Yeah, I get it, I'm a light weight when it comes to alcohol," Sasuke glared. "Must we talk about those days?" he asked. Sasuke had moved so he was no longer leaning back on the couch and was instead sitting up, his arms crossed, and moved to the opposite corner of the long couch.

"Don't get upset," Itachi said half-heartedly. "Kakashi was happy to hear you finally got a social life," the man then said.

"Why the hell did you have to tell him?" Sasuke asked, frustrated with his brothers actions. He knew Kakashi always teased him before so after hearing about his drunken night there was no way that the older man wouldn't be teasing him the next time he saw him. "Can't you get a social life so you two can talk about that instead?" he then asked.

"I have a social life," Itachi said calmly. The older man saw the look that Sasuke was giving him and proved it by telling him, "I'm going out with Kurama tonight." He saw Sasuke's eyes widen and he explained, "He asked me out during out interview."

It took a moment for Sasuke's shock to wear off before he said, "Well, if he's anything like his brother, he's a moron."

Itachi was surprised, but he didn't let it show, as he heard Sasuke's response. He then just pointed out, "You must have seen something in him, after all, you let him drag you to a bar last night."

Sasuke looked at his brother, trying to come up with a response for what he said, but he had no good explanation for why he went with him. "Shut up," he mumbled. "He's an idiot and he said he wouldn't shut up until I did," he said lamely as he tried to defend his reasoning.

"Is that why you were hanging all over him when he brought you home?" the man then asked. Sasuke looked away, obviously not wanting to answer the question. "You know, you asked him if he wanted to stay," Itachi told him. "I guess you're just lucky that he said no," he added as he stood up. He handed Sasuke back the controller as he said, "It's just something to think about."

Sasuke watched him walk into the other room. He looked down at the controller and then at the television. He saw that Itachi had turned off the television, leaving him there to think about what he said. _'When did he do that?'_ he wondered as he continued to stare at the black screen of the television set.

**NS**

Kurama was only somewhat dressed up for his date with Itachi. He knew the man would probably like the nice suit and tie kind of restaurants, in which a person would need a reservation to eat, so he was meeting him half way. The redheaded man planned for them to go to an intimate restaurant that wasn't well known, but was still nice in it's own right. "You look nice," Naruto teased when he walked up behind his brother. "Now get out so I can use the bathroom," he then added.

"I'll get out when I feel like it," Kurama said as he started taking his time. He was ready, but he knew it would annoy his little brother to no end if he didn't do what he was told.

"Okay, I see where this is going," Naruto said as a mischievous grin came across his face. He started unbuttoning his pants, "If you don't get out now, you're going to see me naked in about ten seconds, if that."

"You have no shame," Kurama said as he straightened out his shirt one last time.

"Says the guy who asked somebody he knew for less than a week out on a date," Naruto retorted.

"Don't be bitter just because you don't have the balls to ask Sasuke out," Kurama threw back at him with a grin. Before his brother could respond he walked out, ignoring the yelling that came from behind the door he had just shut. He smiled to himself, _'Teasing him will never get old.'_

**NS**

Kurama rang the doorbell of the Uchiha manor. He was looking around at the massive house, trying not to show just how in awe he was at the mere size of the house. Sure he'd seen it in pictures, but that doesn't do it much justice. Pictures don't often show the large gate that you have to get permission from someone inside the house just to get in. His attention was pulled back to the door when he heard it open. He saw Sasuke standing there, looking just short of hell, _'Must be from going out with Naruto yesterday.'_ He just smiled as he asked, "Where's Itachi?"

"Still getting ready," was his response as he moved aside to let the redhead in. "So where are you taking him?" the youngest Uchiha asked as he looked at the way Kurama was dressed. "I hope it's nicer than the way you're dressed," he then added as he saw Itachi walking down the stairs.

"Stop interrogating him," Itachi ordered her little brother, which only made Sasuke smirk. "But since he asked, where are you taking me?" Itachi asked, looking Kurama up and down.

"Don't worry, the place is nice enough," Kurama chuckled. He saw the skeptic look on both of the Uchiha's faces and so he looked at Itachi and said, "Just trust me, you'll like it."

Itachi looked at Sasuke, the younger Uchiha just shrugged as he said, "Have fun." He walked away, leaving the two alone in the front room.

"Well we should go," Kurama said. "We don't want the place to get too crowded," he said. "I doubt you like waiting," he then added with a grin.

"This isn't the kind of place that needs a reservation?" Itachi asked as he watched Kurama open the door. The other man just ignored the question as he guided the other man out of the door.

**NS**

Kurama and Itachi sat inside a small, intimate restaurant. The lighting in the restaurant was low and there were candles on the tables. It was a nice restaurant, not one that many people seemed to know about. The atmosphere was casual but still nice; Kurama felt that it was the perfect type of restaurant for a date.

Itachi looked around the small restaurant, as if inspecting it for some kind of imperfection. "Interesting choice," was his initial reaction. "I guess it's not that bad of a restaurant," he then said reluctantly.

Kurama just smirked, "Do you really mean that or are you just trying to be polite?"

"This isn't a business dinner, I don't have to be polite," Itachi reminded the other man. "I mean you asked me out, who says I even want to be here?" the man then asked, somewhat arrogantly. There wasn't any real bite to his words; they both knew that he was just trying to keep control of the date in his own weird way.

Kurama just chuckled in response, but before he could say anything the waiter walked over. The waiter looked at them, as if he were trying to analyze if they were on a date or something more formal. "Hello, my name is Ryuu and I'll be your waiter today," he smiled. "What can I start you guys out with this evening?" he asked.

Itachi looked at the brunette standing next to the table, "Shouldn't you ask if we need more time? We did just sit down." The other man's green eye widened in surprise as embarrassment spread across his face. Itachi then said, "I don't, but it's only polite to ask."

Kurama just looked at the Uchiha in amusement, "Just tell the man what you want." The redhead then turned to the waiter and said, "Don't mind him, he has yet to dislodge the stick from his ass." Kurama then looked back at Itachi as he added, "I think it's an Uchiha thing."

"Well at this rate, you won't be the one dislodging it," Itachi smirked back at him. He then turned to the waiter and said, "I'll take the most expensive thing on the menu and some water." He handed his menu to the man, who was standing in front of them shell shocked at the their banter.

"Make that two," Kurama said as he also handed the menu to the man.

Ryuu nodded, "Coming right up." He then hurried back to the kitchen, looking like he needed to tell someone what he'd just heard, or more what was just implied.

"Were you trying to traumatize the poor boy?" Kurama laughed. "Is that how you Uchihas get your amusement at a restaurant?" he added with a smile.

"It is a little fun to watch them squirm," Itachi shrugged. "Though I guess it's fun to watch anyone squirm," he said confidently.

"I guess that's true," Kurama replied. There was a moment of silence, where they just looked at each other, each trying to analyze ach other and decide what to say to each other. Kurama then broke the silence as he said, "Tell me something about yourself that nobody knows, not even your brother."

"Now why would I do that?" Itachi asked.

"Come on, what are you scared of?" Kurama asked. "Do you really have that many secrets?" he asked as he leaned with his elbows on the table. "Does Sasuke know that?" he asked. "Your brother doesn't seem like the type that likes to be kept in the dark," he said.

"Who said I kept anything from Sasuke?" Itachi asked. "Just because I don't want to tell you something extremely personal, doesn't mean I keep things from my brother," he said.

"Doesn't mean that you don't either," he pointed out. Itachi just looked at him, obviously not going to tell him anything, "Fine, how about you just tell me anything about yourself then? But, it has to be something I don't know."

"I find you intriguing and I have no idea why," Itachi surprised him by saying.

Kurama quickly recovered from his surprise as he said, "Funny, I was going to say the same thing about you." He smiled as he leaned back in his seat, "Fine, I'll pick the topic then." He took a moment to think about what to talk about, "Do you ever wish that you could do something other than run your family business?"

"That sounds oddly like an interview question," Itachi replied. Kurama just shrugged, not even realizing that it had indeed sounded like he was interviewing him. "However to answer your question, no I don't wish I could do something else with my life," he added. Itachi continued by explaining, "I always knew from a young age it was what I was going to do, thinking about a different career choice would have been pointless. Do you have regrets about running your own magazine?"

"I guess that makes sense," Kurama said, contemplating what Itachi had said. The redhead thought about his own career path and said, "Though it's stressful, I don't think I'd change anything about what I decided to do either." He then laughed as he said, "I guess I just like being my own boss. Plus it's nice having the success that I've had and knowing I've done it on my own."

Itachi nodded, he understood the man's feelings. Though he'd never admit it out loud, he had thought, _'I guess that's like I'm just happy I didn't screw up my parent's business.'_

"So now that this isn't an interview, are you going to tell me about your parent's death?" Kurama asked. "I mean it is part of what made you who you are today, I would imagine a very big part."

"I don't know that I should delve into something so personal, especially since you still seem to be on interview mode," Itachi said as the waiter brought them their water. He looked at the waiter and in the monotone voice that only an Uchiha could get away with without being boring, he said, "Thank you." The waiter left and Itachi looked back at Kurama asking, "How do I know this isn't truly just a ploy to get more information out of me?"

"You're not very trusting, are you?" the other man asked as he shifted his position. "How about I tell you about my mother's death first, sound like a fair trade?" he asked. Itachi just nodded, waiting for the man to continue. "My mom died in childbirth, obviously Naruto's birth," he added. "During our childhood I blamed him, you know because I didn't really know better and I just thought it was his fault," he said with a frown. "Obviously I don't anymore, as I grew up I realized that it wasn't his fault and we were able to have a good relationship," he smiled. "But it made it so we only grew up with our father, I guess we took on his point of view and for the most part his personality in a way. I think that's where Naruto got being oblivious to things from because my dad didn't even know Naruto liked men until I told him," Kurama laughed at his end thought. "And part of the time we had to raise ourselves because of his elections, but I don't really think that's his fault, I mean he's always been a great father," the redhead smiled. "Now your turn," he said expectantly.

"We didn't grow up much with parents, rather my parent’s business partner and family friend Kakashi raised us," Itachi told him. "We both took on Uchiha traits, being rather conservative, mostly because I grew up more with my parents and learned from them and Sasuke grew up with me and though he doesn't admit it most of his life he looked up to me," Itachi said. "Our guardian was quite the pervert, not toward us, but toward women. It always disgusted Sasuke; I just brushed it off. I think that's why he likes to mess with Sasuke, he finds it fun to tease him," Itachi gave the closest thing to a smile Kurama had seen since he'd met him. The Uchiha stuck with the superficial things; like normal, he didn't talk about anything too personal. The dark haired man didn't say how his parents' deaths truly affected him, how it made both of the Uchiha brothers smile less and how it forced them both to grow up just a little bit faster. In a way, their deaths made it so that at least one of them _had_ to be perfect because there was no one else to pick up the pieces if they weren't, or at least there was no other Uchiha.

Their food came and their conversation turned to more trivial things. They talked about their favorite colors and hobbies. The serious part of the date had officially ended with the food's arrival.

**NS**

Sasuke sat at home staring at the television. He wasn't watching the program, but rather thinking. He wasn't even sure what was on and it didn't even matter, at that point it was just background noise to make it look like he was doing something incase Itachi came home. He was really thinking about Itachi's words. They played over and over in his mind. _'You must have seen something in him, after all, you let him drag you to a bar last night. Why would he say that? I don't see anything in him; I was just trying to get the moron to shut up. Right? Yeah, that's all I was trying to do,'_ he thought. He looked lost as he absent-mindedly sat on the couch, biting his lip. "Naruto's just a moron," he said to himself, not even realizing he was talking out loud. He shifted in his seat, wondering, "If that's true, then why am I letting this get to me?" He sighed and closed his eyes. The dark haired man tried his best not to think about Naruto or his blonde hair and blue eyes, but something about the man just stuck with him. _'Okay, the guy's hot, that has to be the reason,'_ he thought, telling himself that he wouldn't let there be any other reason. _'Fuck this,'_ he thought as he got up. _'I just need to go to sleep and stop thinking about Itachi's stupid words. If it weren't for him I wouldn't even be questioning my actions,'_ he thought bitterly as he walked toward the stairs, so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't even remember to turn the television off.


	11. Friends

**The art of love... is largely the art of persistence. ~Albert Ellis**

Naruto stood in the long line at a coffee shop. It was apparently the best in town, but it was also usually out of his way. He happened to be in that part of town that morning when he saw it and decided that he should finally try it. He looked around while he waited in line, when someone caught his eye. _'I'd recognize that hair anywhere,'_ he thought as he got out of line and walked up to the person, cutting in line. "Hey Sasuke," he smiled, but the man just glared at him.

"Is there a reason you just cut me in line?" he asked, not amused. It was obvious that he wasn't a patient person, which just made it all the more fun for Naruto.

"I told you that you wouldn't get rid of me," he smiled. "Come on just do a friend a favor," the blonde continuing to smile as he saw the look that Sasuke was giving him. It was the bright kind of smile that would make most peoples heart melt and Sasuke wasn't exactly immune to it. While the man didn't turn to a puddle of goo, he did just brush it off and let the go in front of him. "Speaking of favors for friends," Naruto said as he continued to smile at the dark haired man. "I know I was kidding, well half kidding, last time I asked you. But I'm seriously asking you this time," Naruto started.

"That really doesn't make me want to hear the rest of your question," Sasuke said with a cocked eyebrow. He shifted his position, obviously uncomfortable and trying to hide it. He looked at the blonde, expecting him to continue.

"Well, I want you to pose nude for me," Naruto said. "Well not just me really," the blonde said nervously rubbing the back of his neck. "The piece I'm doing for the gallery showing," he continued. Sasuke opened his mouth, looking as if he were going to say no, so Naruto quickly cut him off by saying, "Look I can use the right lighting and camera angles to make sure no one sees your face."

Sasuke looked at him skeptically, "You just want to see me nude."

"And yet I didn't take you up on your offer the other night," Naruto said teasingly, causing Sasuke to look down. "Come on, as much as I hate to admit it because you're a total bastard, you do have the perfect body and I could _really_ use it," he said, trying to convince the blonde.

"And what happens to the photos afterwards?" Sasuke asked as he crossed his arms. He still had himself convinced that he wasn't going to do it, but he was curious as to what the blonde did with them.

"Well, with yours I'd most certainly hang it somewhere in my house," Naruto said slightly flirtatiously. He couldn't believe that he was actually flirting with the asshole, but he was and he was having fun doing it. He liked provoking reactions from Sasuke and seeing what different looks he'd get from him. With his last statement he got a glare, though it was accompanied by a slight blush that Naruto was happy to see, "Okay, I was kidding, if it makes you feel better I'd give it back to you and let you do whatever you want with it."

"I'm still not doing it," Sasuke as he signaled the blonde to move up in the line a little more. "Why don't you ask one of your friends to do it?" he asked. "Isn't that what friends are for, to do favors for each other," he said looking at his watch as he let out a sigh.

"You don't have many friends, do you?" Naruto laughed, which just made Sasuke shove Naruto forward in the line. "No need to get angry," he laughed. "How about you become my friend and then you can do this favor for me," he suggested with a smile.

"No, now move, it's your turn to order moron," he replied.

Naruto turned and ordered then walked to wait for his drink. He noticed Sasuke didn't stand next to him to wait, so he moved next to him, "Come on just at least try to be my friend. You know that night out was fun."

"Yes having a hang over yesterday was so much fun," Sasuke replied dryly. He knew that wasn't what Naruto meant.

"Come on, Kiba and I are going out again Friday, just come out with us," he tried to convince him. "We can even hang out before we go to the club, you know so we just aren't friends that go out to clubs together," he said.

"Fine," Sasuke sighed. "But if you let me get that drunk again, I'm going to kill you," he warned.

Naruto's coffee order came up and he grabbed as he said, "I'll try, but you have a tendency of getting what you want. I don't know if you noticed but you're a little demanding." The blonde smiled, "Plus if I get drunk there's no way 'I'll be stopping you from getting drunk."

"I don't get _everything_ that I want," Sasuke mumbled as he looked at Naruto. The blonde heard it, but didn't know how to respond to it, because they both knew he was talking about that night. Sasuke got his coffee and started to head for the door.

"You almost did," Naruto said to himself, thinking that Sasuke didn't hear. He then followed the Uchiha out of the coffee shop.

"We're going out at nine, so if you want to hang out at eight or so we usually hang out at Kiba's house. He likes to play pool before we go out, I think it boosts his confidence because he knows it's the one thing he can kick my ass at," Naruto said, causing the other man to chuckle. "Just text me to let me know so that I know when to swing by and pick you up," he said with a smile. Sasuke just nodded as they parted ways, he wasn't sure why but he couldn't help but have a small smile on his face as he walked away.

**NS**

Meanwhile, Kabuto sat a good distance away from the two, watching and waiting for something to happen. He had taken pictures of them in the coffee line. It was obvious to him that something was going on; they had been standing too close to be purely friendly. Naruto had a flirtatious grin on his face practically the entire conversation and something had even made the Uchiha blush. Kabuto wasn't sure what was going on, but he was making sure to get pictures of it.

The man thought that when they walked out of the coffee shop was one of the best picture opportunities. The two were standing close while talking; it reminded him of two teenagers talking about a date they were going to go on. It had a slightly shy demeanor, yet it was still playful as well. By the end they were both smiling, which Kabuto was sure to get a picture of because a smiling Uchiha was rather rare. He knew with the way the two looked at each other, or more how they smiled at each other, before walking away Orochimaru would be able to twist it somehow. He looked at the picture and thought, _'It may not be them kissing, but Orochimaru is still going to love this.'_

**NS**

After walking away, Naruto quickly pulled out his phone and dialed Kiba's number. After a few rings he heard a Kiba's voice say, "Hey Naruto what's up?" The brunette's voice was sleepy, as if he had just woken up and he didn't sound truly interested, but rather annoyed at the call.

"Please don't tell me that you just woke up," Naruto laughed. "It's ten o'clock, you really should be up by now," he pointed out, though the grunt from the other end made it obvious that the other man didn't care what he thought. "Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that Sasuke is coming out with us again on Friday," he said.

Kiba sighed and Naruto heard some rustling around, which he knew must be the other man sitting up. "I thought you didn't like him, why are you going through so much trouble for this guy?" he asked. "I mean first your saying he's a bastard and now it seems like all you want is for him to be your friend," he said bluntly.

"Well, it's better than fighting with the guy," Naruto reasoned. It was a lame excuse, but he figured Kiba wouldn't call him on it.

"Dude, you don't even have to talk to him anymore," Kiba reminded him. "You're done with the photo shoot and interview," he said, realizing that the blonde wasn't going to let the conversation be a quick one. "If you ask me, it seems like you _want_ to be his friend, it has nothing to do with convenience," the brunette continued to make his opinion extremely clear.

"I just think it could be interesting to get to know him," Naruto said. He sighed, " I don't know why I talk to you sometimes. Why can't you just agree with me and say that it'll be fun?"

"Sounds great Naruto, I'm sure it'll be _super_ fun," Kiba said sarcastically as he looked up at his ceiling. It was his only day off and there he was talking to Naruto at ten o'clock in the morning.

"No need to patronize me," Naruto said in an annoyed tone. He was on his way home from the house of one of the model's that was posing for his exhibit at the gallery. He finally got to his car, finding a ticket on the widow, "Damn it, your bad mood must be contagious, and I got a ticket."

"It's karma for waking me up on my one day off," Kiba said with an amused laugh. "Not all of us are like you and can pick our times and days we work," he said. "This is the one day I was able to sleep in, why couldn't you just let me do that?" he asked with a frustrated sigh.

"It's not my fault you work and go to school," Naruto said defensively as he got into his car. "Your parents told you they'd pay for your school, if I were you I'd take them up on that offer and start working less," he suggested. "Oh and don't forget to work late on Saturday, we both know you'll drink a lot on Friday or end up hooking up with someone," he said in a slightly teasing manner.

"Fuck you," Kiba said tiredly. He yawned and said, "Look I'm hanging up now, so you can go find someone else to talk to about Sasuke. I really don't feel like listening to your denial right now, but you can tell me all about it tomorrow."

"Denial, what denial?" Naruto said angrily as he pulled out of his parking spot. He looked behind him, trying to make sure that he wasn't going to hit anything. Naruto started to drive home as he said, "I don't like the guy, and I just want to be his friend."

"I didn't say that you liked him Naruto," Kiba said. "I merely said that you're interested and not in just a friendly manner. I'm sure you do want to get to know him, but I don't think it's because you want to just be his friend," he explained.

"Yeah, well now I'm hanging up on you," Naruto said, not liking where the conversation was going. "I'm driving so, you know, I really shouldn't be talking," he said, giving yet another lame excuse. "Bye," he then added.

"Right, bye," Kiba laughed at his friend's sudden attitude change. He hung up, putting his phone back on his nightstand, and his head back on his pillow.

**NS**

When Naruto arrived home, he saw Kurama standing in the kitchen, looking over the layout for the next month's edition of his magazine. "Hey, that took you longer than I thought it would," the redhead said as he looked up at his brother.

"Yeah, I ran into Sasuke while getting coffee," Naruto said as he threw his keys on the counter "Plus the line at that coffee shop was way longer than I expected it would be," he added. "If it hadn't been for the fact that I'd heard they had amazing coffee, I would have just walked out," he continued as he walked to the pantry and started to look for something to eat.

"You mean, if it weren't for the fact that Sasuke was in line," Kurama said with a knowing smile. Naruto just rolled his eyes and grunted. "Come on, admit it, you kind of like the guy," his brother teased as he looked at his brother.

"Why does everyone think that?" the blonde asked, grabbing a bag of chips and walking to the table. "You know what, don't answer that question," he said before sitting down. "Instead, tell me how your date was," the blonde decided to change the topic.

Kurama decided to let it slide and said, "It was fun; we had a good time. We talked and it turns out we actually have quite a bit in common."

"That's good," Naruto said. "I'm guessing you didn't get very far since you didn't say anything. In fact, I think I even heard you come in last night, that's not a good sign," he teased with a smirk. "Did you even get a good night kiss?" he asked.

"I don't think Itachi is really the type to kiss on the first date," the redhead mumbled as he turned back to his work. "And I don't think that really matters, I mean we had a good time, that's all that really counts," Kurama said.

"Right," Naruto said as he put a chip in his mouth. "Maybe you should have got him drunk, if he's anything like Sasuke, he's a slutty drunk," the blonde laughed.

"You know, if you stopped talking so much about Sasuke, people might stop thinking that you like the guy," Kurama said. "Anyway, I'm going to my room, at least then you won't be able to distract me," he added before grabbing his things and walking out of the kitchen, leaving Naruto alone to think about what he said.

' _I talk about all of my friends,'_ Naruto thought as he stared as the place where Kurama once stood. _'That's all it is, just talking about another friend,'_ he tried to convince himself.


	12. Hands All Over

**When love is not madness, it is not love. ~Pedro Calderon de la Barca**

Thursday morning, Sasuke sat in his office, reading through a stack of papers Kakashi put on his desk. He rubbed his tired eyes; it felt like he'd been reading much longer than he actally had been. He was distracted from his reading by the sound of his cell phone. _'Who the hell would call me?'_ he wondered as he dug into his pocket for his phone. He looked at the screen to see _'Naruto'_ displayed as it rang. "Hello?" he answered, trying not to sound as confused, and slightly excited, as he was.

"Hey Sasuke," a cheery voice said from the other end of the line. "It's Naruto," he informed, just incase the dark haired man couldn't tell by the blonde's voice or personality.

"I know moron," Sasuke replied in his usual bored tone. He didn't even think about how the blond would respond to his words, he just wanted Naruto to get to the point.

"What, you just know my voice that well, or did you actually code my number into your phone?" he asked, very amused. He would be happy with either answer; it meant that Sasuke saw him as at least somewhat of a friend.

"Is there something you needed?" Sasuke asked, trying to avoid the question. "I'm trying to work," he said knowing that Naruto would easily be able to distract him and that he couldn't let that happen.

"Well, actually I'm calling about Friday night," the blond said. "As it turns out, Kiba can't go out Friday, he has some annual family get together that his mother won't let him get out of. So, we're going out tonight instead, I was hoping you'd still join us," Naruto explained.

' _This is my chance to get out of it,'_ Sasuke thought as he leaned back in his chair, allowing it to swivel back and forth. "Fine," he finally said. He wasn't sure why he'd agreed, but it was as if his moth made up his mind for him. "But," he had to make sure to put his rules in place. "If we got out tonight then you _really_ can't let me drink. If I have a hang over at work tomorrow, I'll kill you," he threatened.

Naruto just laughed, "Right." He smiled, though he knew Sasuke couldn't see it, as he said, "It'll be fun, that's all that matters." His smile then changed to a smirk as his voice took on a hint of arrogance as he said, "Plus, you don't scare me. You act tough, but I think that you're just a big softie."

"You're asking to get punched in the face, aren't you?" Sasuke chuckled. He didn't let Naruto answer as he quickly said, "Look, I've got to get back to work, but I'll see you tonight."

Naruto gave a small smile as he teasingly said, "Just call me, you obviously have the number." After they hung up, Naruto looked at his phone, wondering why he didn't want to say goodbye.

Meanwhile, Sasuke looked down at his paperwork and mumbled, "I know that I'm going to regret this.

**NS**

Kurama kept thinking about Itachi, he couldn't help it. In the short period of time the man had started to cloud his mind with "love at first sight" or what called lust. He looked at the calendar, wondering if it was too soon to call without seeming desperate. He hadn't been on a date in a while, so he wasn't even sure how long to wait at that point. It hadn't been a week, though it was getting close. He felt that he should call, or maybe it was just that he _wanted_ to call. _'Should I call or not? Would he think it's too soon? Damn it, why am I acting like some teenage girl? If I want to call him, I should just call him,'_ the redhead told himself. He took a deep breath before picking up the phone and dialing Itachi's number.

As he looked around, he realized where he was and knew that he probably shouldn't talk to Itachi around his employees. He got up, deciding to go outside so that he could find some privacy. The man excused himself, walking out the door of the small building.

"Hello Kurama," he heard Itachi's voice say. He knew the man was at work and that he probably wouldn't be able to talk long, but he needed to call him.

"Hey, I know this is probably a bad time, you're probably at work. But, I just wanted to call you," he said. He felt awkward, not really knowing what to say and wishing he'd planned it out more before calling the other man. "I had fun on our date last week," he told him, trying to get to the reason he'd actually called. "I was hoping we could do it again some time."

"As much as I hate to admit it, I had fun as well," Itachi said. He was amused by how awkward Kurama was acting. He found it funny how he could be so much more personable in person and yet so awkward on the phone.

"Well, then maybe we could go out again," Kurama said, gaining some more confidence. "Naruto tells me that you Uchihas are quite the fun drunks," he grinned, wanting to gain the upper hand.

"You know, just because my brother is a slutty drunk, doesn't mean I am," Itachi informed him. "You'll be disappointed if that is what you were hoping for," he said. "But I'm not too keen on the club scene, so if you take me to one then I'd plan on a short date."

"I figured that much," Kurama gave a small laugh. "But I didn't want to take you back to my favorite restaurant, it'd seem a little repetitive," he said. "We both know you'd pick some upscale restaurant and what fun is that? I want to loosen you up and I doubt that'd do the trick," he said.

"You are going to have to let me pick the restaurant eventually," Itachi said. "I like having some control in all aspects of my life," he added. He crossed one leg over the other, but kept sitting straight up in his chair, "You're lucky you got to pick one date."

"How about you pick the third, once I've gotten you to relax a little bit," Kurama said in a confident tone.

"Who says you'll make it to a third date?" Itachi asked with a smirk. He had to find some way to control the situation, and at that point just messing with the man's mind in any way he could, would have to do.

"Well, you agreed to go on a second date, I think that's a pretty good sign," Kurama replied. Before he could say anything else, one of his employees came outside looking for him, "I'll be right there." He let out a small sigh and told Itachi, "I've got to get back to work. I'll call you later though to set up our next date."

"As do I," Itachi replied. "And next time, don't wait almost a week to call me," he said in a slightly warning tone. "Bye," the man hung up.

' _He says he likes to be in control, but then why didn't he call me?'_ Kurama asked himself. He headed so that he could get back to work, even though most of his mind was elsewhere.

If only Kurama had seen Kabuto lurking in the bushes. The man smirked when he looked down at all of the information he'd gotten and thought, _'I guess it's time to visit Kurama's favorite restaurant,'_ he thought as he stood up, making his way toward his car.

**NS**

He'd stalked the Namikazes so much for Orochimaru over the years that he knew exactly which restaurant was Kurama's favorite. The place was small and intimate and the redhead seemed to take everyone he dated there at least once.

"Hi, table for one?" the man behind the small counter asked with a smile.

Kabuto just pulled out two pictures, one Kurama and one of Itachi, before asking, "Have you ever seen these two men in here together?"

The other man looked at the two pictures closely, "Oh yeah, they were in here last week, just the two of them."

"Is their waiter working today?" he asked. Kabuto knew it wasn't like the waiter had any moral obligation to keep the information secret; it wasn't like he was a lawyer.

He looked around before pointing to a waiter that was cleaning off a table and answering, "Yeah, Ryuu's right over there." He was getting uncomfortable with the light haired man's questions, for all he knew he could be a killer trying to hunt the men down. "I can call him over if you'd like," he told him reluctantly. Kabuto nodded and the man called out to the waiter, "Ryuu, there's some guy here to see you."

After the man walked over, Kabuto quickly said, "Can we talk elsewhere?"

Ryuu looked at the other man, who just nodded. "Uh, sure." They walked outside and he asked, "What is it that you need?"

"You waited on these two men, correct?" he asked as he held up the pictures.

The man shifted uncomfortably as he remembered how the two acted. He knew they were both big names in the city and didn't want to get hurt because of what he had heard. "Look if you need me to keep quiet, I can, I'll just pretend that I heard nothing," Ryuu quickly said.

"I want quite the opposite," Kabuto grinned. "I want you to tell me everything that you heard," he said.

Ryuu was unsure about the situation but he said, "Well, it seemed like they were out on a date. They said some suggestive things." He tried to think back to that night, the two men were pretty unforgettable, but he couldn't remember a lot of what they talked about since he wasn't there the entire time. "They didn't kiss or anything, but they were walking really close together when they left," he added. "I really don't remember anything else," he shrugged.

"That's fine, thanks for your help," he smiled at the man before leaving the property and a very confused waiter.

**NS**

That night, Sasuke was getting ready to go out with Naruto and Kiba. He made his appearance look more appropriate for the club scene, as he knew that was where they were going. He knew he was being arrogant, but he felt the looked hot – in fact, he knew he looked hot.

"Where are you going?" Itachi said from behind him. He looked over Sasuke's appearance, knowing that his brother would be mauled all night. He didn't like the idea of his baby brother getting groped all night by drunken strangers.

"Out with Naruto and Kiba," he answered. "The moron annoyed me into going to a club with them tonight. It was supposed to be tomorrow but Kiba has some family thing tomorrow," he explained. "I'd just like to see how idiot number handles having a hangover at his family gathering," the youngest Uchiha chuckled.

"How are you going to handle having a hangover at work tomorrow?" Itachi asked the other man. "Do you really think it's a good idea to go out tonight? You do have to go to work tomorrow," he reminded him, his overprotective older brother mode kicking in.

"Calm down," Sasuke said, annoyed by his brothers attitude. "I promise I won't let myself get so drunk that I'll have a hangover tomorrow," he said, hoping he could keep that promise.

"I like Naruto, but I'm starting to think he's not a very good influence on you if he's taking you out on a Thursday to go clubbing," Itachi said, as if he were Sasuke's parent rather than his brother.

"So what if it's a Thursday?" Sasuke asked. "It'll be less busy than it would be on a Friday or Saturday," he pointed out, not sure why he was even defending the blond.

"For someone who supposedly doesn't like him, you're doing a pretty good job at defending Naruto," Itachi said. He knew that no matter what his brother said, Sasuke had some kind of soft spot for the blond.

Sasuke wasn't sure how to combat those words. Instead he just looked at his watch, "I've got to go; Naruto should be here any minute." He walked away from his brother and down the stairs to wait for the blond far away from his brother.

**NS**

"So, you're hanging out with Sasuke again?" Kurama asked with an amused look on his face. "That's interesting, since he's a bastard and all," the redhead said, obviously mocking his brother.

"Shut up," Naruto replied. "And yes I am, and I'm already late," he was rushed as he looked for his wallet.

Kurama handed it to him as he said, "Sounds to me like you like him."

"I don't like him," he denied. "Unless you mean as a friend," he added. "He's just a friend," he made clear. "Now I've got to go," he grabbed his keys and quickly headed out of the room.

"A friend for now," Kurama said, thinking Naruto wouldn't hear.

"Shut up, I heard that," the blond said from down the hall. He then quickly left before his brother could say anything else and before his two friends, especially Sasuke, yelled at him for being any later than he already was.

**NS**

They had all been talking at the bar for most of the night. Sasuke and Naruto had been getting to know each other and Kiba was mostly scouting the bar for single women. The brunette then saw her, what he thought was his dream woman, at least looks wise. He just stared for a moment before saying, "You guys have fun, and I'm going to go introduce myself to that hot dark haired girl alone in the booth."

"Have fun," Naruto laughed. He then ordered another two drinks, one for him and one for Sasuke. "One more drink won't make you drunk," he assured the other man.

"Fine," Sasuke gave a small smile; he was obviously already a little tipsy. He started on the drink, trying to take it slow so that he wouldn't be tempted to order another one.

"So, let's see if I can find some interesting stuff out about you," Naruto said with a mischievous smile. "When was your first kiss?" he asked, knowing it wouldn't be something the dark haired man would usually talk about.

Sasuke took a moment to think about it, "My first kiss was actually a girl in middle school, whose name I can't even remember." He chuckled at the thought of it, "I was sure then that I was gay, I guess I'm just happy my parents never knew that." It wasn’t that he was ashamed of being gay, but he knew that his parents had been very conservative and wasn’t sure if they would approve.

Naruto nodded, "What about with a guy?" he was truly curious, he didn't think that Sasuke would be very social so he was surprised to learn that he actually was kissed that young. Then again, Sasuke was attractive so it made sense that he'd have many suitors.

"Early high school," he said. "He was actually a really good kisser, taught me a lot," the man said. Naruto didn't know why but that made him a little jealous. "What about you?" Sasuke asked.

"Same," he said. "I questioned myself in middle school, but not a lot of guys seemed willing to test it with me," he laughed.

Before the conversation could go anywhere else, a man walked up to them. He was well built and mysterious looking. "Hey," he said to Sasuke, his eye roaming over the pale man's body. "You want to dance?" his voice was low and he was standing far too close for Naruto's liking

The blonde glared at the good-looking man next to Sasuke. He wanted to burn holes through him, though he didn't want to admit why. He knew it was Sasuke's choice whether or not to dance with him, but that didn't mean that he had to like it if he said yes.

"I don't dance," Sasuke simply answered, wanting nothing to do with the man. He was good looking, but his dark hair didn't fit Sasuke's type.

The man looked at Naruto and saw the way he was looking at him, "What is he yours?" He backed away a little, "Don't look at me like that, I didn't know." Before walking away he added, "But if I were you, I'd show you're together in someway, that's a fine piece of ass you've got there. You should flaunt that."

Sasuke looked over at Naruto's reaction to the man after it was mentioned. He noticed how angry he looked, how jealous. It surprised him and made him look away. Sasuke quickly downed his drink before ordering another one, _'I'm going to need this.'_

"Well that was awkward," Naruto said before downing the rest of his drink as well, also ordering a new one. One drink led to many more and before they knew it, both of them had probably had far too much to drink. "Come on, dance with me," Naruto said as he got off of his bar stool.

"I don't dance," Sasuke said in a drunken state of happiness. He was still allowing himself to be pulled off of his seat even though he was saying no.

"Tonight you do," Naruto said in his ear, being the aggressive drunk that he was. The music was loud and the two quickly started grinding. Naruto was behind the dark haired man, pulling him close as he ran his hands along the lithe body in front of him. Sasuke was grinding into Naruto his hands up and behind him, tangling his fingers in the blond hair and causing their faces to be pressed close together.

After a while of dancing, something happened that would have _never_ happened if they had been sober at that point. They had been facing each other for a while; they were still grinding against each other, they still had their faces close together, and their hands were still all over each other. Then, Naruto did something that would fit into the category of flaunting Sasuke even more than dancing did. The blonde closed the gap between them, connecting their lips in a fierce kiss. It was demanding and both were eagerly responding. They were no longer dancing; rather Naruto was holding Sasuke tightly around the waist as Sasuke pulled him closer by the back of the neck. "Take me home," Sasuke whispered in the tan ear when they pulled away.

Drunken Naruto was not able to resist like sober Naruto, so he quickly grabbed Sasuke's hand and went off to find Kiba. They found him talking to the girl that he'd seen from the bar and Naruto quickly said, "We're heading out."

Kiba could tell he was drunk and when he looked at their joined hands, he had a feeling Sasuke was too. He had a bad feeling about it, “You shouldn’t be driving.”

“I’m not, we called an Uber,” Naruto smiled. Kiba just nodded and watched them walk away. He had a bad feeling about it, but there was nothing he could really do.

**NS**

Naruto and Sasuke amazingly enough got to Sasuke's bedroom with only minor mishaps. They laughed many times as they were trying not to wake Itachi and yet they would keep tripping on absolutely nothing. Once in his room, the door was shut Sasuke was pushed up against the nearest wall. The blond started by pulling off the other man's red shirt and started kissing down his neck. He paid extra attention to the spot where the tattoo was, as if to leave his own mark to cover it up. "Naruto," Sasuke moaned as he ran his hands through the blond hair. "Bed," he said, not liking the feeling of the wall against his back.

Naruto picked up the other man, continuing to kiss him as he carried him to the large bed. Sasuke gradually moved them up so that his legs weren't hanging off the side of the bed. He then started to pull off Naruto's shirt, revealing the man's beautiful muscles. The dark haired man pulled the blond into another kiss. As Naruto undid Sasuke's belt and practically threw it across the room, the dark haired man said, "Condoms." Naruto kissed up Sasuke's stomach, but the man just said, "I'm serious condoms and lube." He may have been drunk, but he wasn't stupid enough to have sex with out condoms or lube.

Naruto stopped and stood up. "Where are they?" he asked. "And you better not say at the store," the blonde prayed that wouldn't be his answer.

"In the bathroom," Sasuke just chuckled, pointing in the direction of the bathroom while giving the blond a lustful look.

It took the blond a few minutes to find where Sasuke put his sex supplies. "I've got them," he grinned as he walked back into the room. He frowned when he saw a passed out Sasuke sleeping on the bed, "Stupid alcohol." He just sighed and climbed into bed next to the other man, not really thinking what would happen the next morning.


	13. The Morning After

**Part of the reason that men seem so much less loving than women is that men's behavior is measured with a feminine ruler. ~Francesca M. Cancian**

Sasuke woke up with a throbbing headache. _'I'm going to kill Naruto,'_ was the first thought that came to his mind. Then he realized there was something heavy draped over his waist, _'What the fuck?'_ He turned to look whose arm it was, praying the tan arm wasn't Naruto's. _'Oh, fuck,'_ he thought as he looked at the blonde. _'Shit, shit, shit, shit. What the hell am I going to do?"_ he asked himself as he realized he was in his own house. _'It's not like I can leave my own house and pretend it never happened,'_ he thought as he turned on his back, closing his eyes and letting out a sigh. _'At least I'm still dressed,'_ he continued to think, as he forced himself up, despite the head ache. _'Well, half dressed,'_ he added as an after thought.

He walked into his bathroom and pulled some aspirin out of the cabinet. _'I cannot go downstairs right now,'_ he thought as he looked in the mirror. He wasn't one of those people who could just swallow pills with no water, so instead he turned on the sink and used the tap water. _'How could I have been so stupid?'_ he wondered.

The dark haired man looked back through the door and to his room. It was obvious what was going to happen the night before; his rarely used condoms and lube were missing from the bathroom, which had been practically torn apart. He shut the door, not wanting to think about it, and stripped himself of what was left of his clothing. He then turned on the shower, hoping by some miracle that Naruto would be gone when he got out.

Naruto woke up, feeling like crap. He wasn't in as bad of shape as Sasuke had been, as it seemed to take a lot for him to get a hangover that bad. But he was still dragging and it was easy for anyone to see that he had a hangover. _'Damn, where am I?'_ he asked himself, thinking that he must have went home with some bar slut. He looked around, seeing the Uchiha symbol many places in the room, _'Fuck.'_ It was as if the night flashed before his eyes, or at least part of it, as he remembered kissing Sasuke against the wall. _'Damn it, this is going to be awkward. I need to get out of here,'_ he thought as he looked around for his clothes.

He heard the shower stop, which made him stop in his tracks. He looked at the bathroom door as it opened, seeing Sasuke dripping wet with just a towel wrapped around his waist. _'Obviously someone forgot his clothes this morning,'_ he thought, as he couldn't help but stare. _'Don't jump him, that'll only make things worse,'_ he thought, finding himself wanting to do the night before all over again.

"Oh, you're up," Sasuke said awkwardly. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt so awkward around somebody, it was like telling a one-night stand that they had to go home.

"Yeah," Naruto said, equally awkwardly. "Well I guess I should go," the blond said, finally finding his shirt. Sasuke just nodded and Naruto quickly walked out of the room. The blond could feel Itachi's eyes on him as he walked down the stairs, putting his shirt on as he went. _'Please don't kill me,'_ he thought as he saw the look the older Uchiha was giving him.

**NS**

Sasuke sat at work, trying to concentrate. He was hoping that he wasn't making too many mistakes, though he knew that he probably was. Kakashi walked into his office and for once Sasuke was somewhat relieved to have the distraction, "What do you want Kakashi?"

"Just thought I should warn you that you're brother is coming to talk to you," Kakashi said as he leaned against the door. "He tells me that you've been avoiding him all morning because you finally got laid," he continued with a perverted grin.

"Nothing even happened you old pervert," Sasuke responded, getting annoyed with the man. "Well something almost happened, but it didn't actually happen," he said, wanting to get the other man to stop teasing him.

"Well that's a relief to hear," the older Uchiha said from behind Kakashi. He pushed himself into the room and said, "I wouldn't want to have to kill him because he took advantage of you when you were drunk."

"He didn't take advantage of me Itachi," Sasuke sighed. "We were both drunk," he added, wondering why he was once again defending the blonde idiot.

"Aw, he's defending him, he _must_ like him," Kakashi smiled, though they all knew he was mocking the young man.

"I came to tell you to go home, not to talk about the blonde," Itachi said, stopping the conversation. He could tell that Sasuke was going to protest, so he said, "I've had to fix many mistakes you've made already, you're no good working when you have a hangover. Go home."

Sasuke knew he couldn't argue with his brother, mainly because he knew that he was right. "Whatever," he mumbled, grabbing his things and pushing his way rudely past Kakashi and Itachi.

Once the youngest Uchiha was out of hearing range, Kakashi looked at Itachi and asked, "Do you not remember what it's like to be that young or something?" Itachi just frowned at him as Kakashi continued, "I know you weren't very social, but, he is getting a little bit of a social life, so just go easy on him."

"What are you trying to say exactly?" Itachi asked in his calm, yet angry, tone. He didn't like when people went against him or questioned his judgment, especially when it came to Sasuke.

"I'm saying maybe it's time to stop being so overprotective," Kakashi said. "Instead of killing his love life, you should be helping it," he added, knowing he was probably one of the few people who could tell Itachi what he should do and live to tell about it. "He's old enough to make his own decisions now Itachi," Kakashi assured him before patting the man on the shoulder and walking away.

**NS**

Kurama smirked when he watched Naruto walk in, trying to be as quiet as he possibly could. He had shut the door carefully, trying not to make a sound. "Where have you been?" the older Namikaze asked cheerfully, causing Naruto to jump a little out of surprise. Kurama laughed as he startled his brother.

"It's not funny you asshole," Naruto said as he relaxed. "And it's none of your business where I've been," he looked down, blushing a little, but not wanting his brother to see.

"You're blushing," the red head pointed out. "Did you have a one-night stand?" he asked. Naruto looked away and Kurama asked, "Was it a girl or a guy?"

"I didn't have a one-night stand," Naruto said. "I almost had a one-night stand," he mumbled.

"Well that's even funnier," he laughed again. "But you didn't answer the other question," he pointed out. Kurama noticed how the blond was avoiding eye contact and the question, "Do I happen to know this almost one-night stand?" His voice had taken on a teasing tone.

"Shut up," Naruto said, getting annoyed with his brother's questions. "I don't want to talk about it." He sat down on one of the couches in the entry way as he said, "It was one of the most awkward moments of my life this morning," he admitted.

"So it was Sasuke?" Kurama asked. Naruto just nodded. "But did you at least have _fun_?" he asked, knowing that his brother would know exactly what he meant by that.

"We had a lot of fun," Naruto said. He let out a deep breath and mumbled, "Until the alcohol made him pass out." Kurama held back his laugher and Naruto glared at him, "Stop being an asshole." He got back up, "I'm going to sleep off my hangover, and hopefully you'll have some advice for me when I wake up."

"Sit back down," Kurama said, pulling his brother back so that he was sitting next to him again. "I'm sorry," he apologized, knowing that he should help his little brother. "Do you really want my advice?" he asked.

"Please, because I really don't know what to do," he said, finding himself utterly confused. He had thought Sasuke was a friend and that was all, but that night had showed he was very wrong. But he didn't really want to admit that he liked him based on something so trivial as physical attraction.

"You need to think about how you feel about him," Kurama said. "If it's just physical attraction, you need to make that clear to him so that he knows where you stand. But, if it's something more, you need to decide what you want more, friendship or to take a chance and tell him how you feel," he said, knowing that it would be a difficult decision for his younger brother. "I can't tell you what to do this time," he told him. "Unfortunately, you have to make this decision on your own," he added.

Naruto frowned, "That's what I was afraid you were going to say." He stood up again, "I'm going to my room. I just need to think."

He walked away and Kurama frowned, _'I just wish that I could help him more.'_ He didn't know what to tell Naruto, although he thought that the blonde liked Sasuke as more than a friend, but he couldn't tell him that. He couldn't sway Naruto's decision because if the dark haired man rejected him, he'd end up blaming Kurama for pushing him to go for Sasuke, and the redhead didn't want that to happen. He knew it was a decision he had to make on his own, but that didn't mean that it made watching his little brother's struggle any easier.

**NS**

Naruto was lying on his bed, looking up at the ceiling. He couldn't help but think about his brother's words. He knew that he was right, that he had to make a decision. _'Do I want friendship or the possibility of something more? This shouldn't even be a question. The guy is a bastard, right? He's great as a friend but would probably be terrible as a boyfriend,'_ he thought, trying to convince himself that he didn't want to date Sasuke, that it was a one time occurrence due to physical attraction. _'I can't like him, right? I hated him when I met him, it just doesn't make sense,'_ he thought. He let out a deep breath, _'It isn't worth losing a friendship over. We were drunk; it probably meant nothing to him. I just have to remember he's a slutty drunk. I probably could have been anyone,'_ he convinced himself that it meant nothing, especially to Sasuke, and that it wasn't worth taking a chance. _'We'll just pretend like it never happened. We can just blame it on the alcohol,'_ he told himself, hoping he was right.

He didn't know that the next day would change everything. What would happen the next day would make all of his thoughts pointless, as the next day's events would make the decision for him, at least in the eyes of his father and the Uchihas.


	14. Rumor

**We choose those we like; with those we love, we have no say in the matter. ~Mignon McLaughlin**

Orochimaru sat in his office, waiting for Kabuto. He knew the man was supposed to be bringing him the pictures from his _"research"_ and that made the dark haired man filled with excitement. He knew that it could be his chance to finally take down both Minato and the Uchihas. He remembered the phone call he had with Kabuto, which just made him grin.

**Flashback**

" _I'll be coming to see you tomorrow,"_ Kabuto said from the other end. He sounded confident, not nervous as he had the previous years that they had tried to take down Minato.

"You sound like you have something good for me," Orochimaru said, hoping he was right. He began tapping his pen, waiting for the news, "Good news I hope."

" _I have to show you,"_ Kabuto told him. _"Just telling won't do it justice,"_ he tried to explained. _"But I did get some information out of a waiter that we may be able to use if you don't like any of the pictures,"_ he added.

"I can't wait to see tomorrow," Orochimaru replied. "This better be as good as you are making it out to be," he warned. "Or else I may have to find someone else to do this job," he added. He finished the conversation by saying, "This is your last chance. You're lucky I didn't find someone else after you failed last time."

" _I understand sir,"_ Kabuto said, confident that he'd be going nowhere. _"You won't be disappointed, I promise,"_ he assured him.

**End Flashback**

Orochimaru was pulled from his thoughts at the sound of a knock and the opening of his office door. "Ah, Kabuto, come in," he said as the light haired man walked into the room. "Please sit," he instructed. "I'd like to get started on the information that you have for me," he said with a sinister grin.

Kabuto put the folder on the older man's desk, "I think you'll find the pictures to your liking." He watched as the man's expressions changed from skepticism to sheer pleasure. "I'm sure you can make _something_ out of those," he added, knowing that he'd gotten good shots for the man to use.

"Of course I could," Orochimaru said as he put the pictures back down. "But, I'd rather see what the media could make out of them," his sinister grin reappeared. "You know how they love to twist things," he said in his twisted sense of happiness. "Submit them as being from an unknown source, but keep a copy," he instructed the younger man. "We'll just sit back and watch their downfall," he laughed. _'This time I'm taking them down for good,'_ he thought with a grin.

Kabuto just nodded and quickly left. _'I'm glad he liked them, after being his assistant I'm not sure I could have found another job,'_ he thought as he went to do what he was told. He looked down at the pile of pictures in his hands, _'This is going to bury them.'_

**NS**

Sasuke sat at home flipping through channels, bored. _'There's nothing on,'_ he thought as he let out a small breath of air. _'Maybe I should call Naruto,'_ his eyes widened at the thought. _'Damn it, he has become my friend,'_ he thought, giving himself an excuse as to why he thought to call him and not one of the other people on his short list that he called friends.

Itachi walked into the room, obviously angry, though Sasuke didn't know why. Before he could ask what was wrong, Itachi ripped the control from his hand and turned the channel to the nearest gossip news program. "What are you doing?" Sasuke asked, knowing Itachi didn't care for those.

"Shut up," Itachi said as he stared at the screen, causing Sasuke to do the same.

" _And now we have pictures from an unnamed source containing the Uchihas and Namikazes and not in a way you'd think. It seems the youngest of each family have taken quite a liking to each other. Uchiha Sasuke and Namikaze Naruto were caught multiple times looking rather comfortable together. As seen in this photo, the two went to a club together and also danced with each other. There are rumors that the two are dating and that this picture at a popular café was actually a date. While they do look rather happy, neither camp has confirmed nor denied the statements. But we want to hear what you think, go to our online poll and vote if you think the two are an item. Tune into our later program for more on this story.”_

Itachi looked at Sasuke, "How did you not know there were cameras following you, especially at the coffee shop? I must say you two do look rather happy, if I didn't know any better I'd say you were a couple."

Sasuke just continued to stare at the screen. He knew they were drunk in the first picture; it was from the night they _almost_ took things too far. They had been grinding on each other that entire night; it didn't surprise him that someone got a picture of it. The coffee shop picture was the one that surprised him. It was true; they did look like a couple just leaving each other after a date. The photographer had even caught Sasuke smiling as he said goodbye to Naruto. "I'm sorry," was all he could say. "I was drunk and the second one was just two friends saying goodbye," he tried to defend himself.

"It didn't look very friendly to me," Itachi said. "And it sure as hell won't look very friendly to anyone else," he added. He took a deep breath as he looked at his brother, "If you want to be with him, I'm okay with that. But I can't have you getting drunk and being all over him when you're not with him, it looks bad for the company. Frankly it makes you look like a slut."

"I know, I know, I'll fix it," Sasuke said, trying to think about how he'd work it out. _'I can't like him,'_ he told himself. "I won't go out with him and Kiba anymore," he said. "I promise," he looked down, not wanting to get scolded by his brother any more than necessary that day.

"I'm not saying that you have to stop going out with them," Itachi said as he saw the look on Sasuke's face. "I'm just saying you have to either stop shoving your tongue down Naruto's throat or you have to start dating him. I really don't care which," he said, remembering Kakashi's words and trying to take his brother's feelings into consideration.

"No, really it's for the best," Sasuke said as he stood up. "I hardly know Naruto anyway," he shrugged. "It'll just be bad press if I keep going out with him," he told his brother. "I'm just going to go relax in my room," he walked away.

Itachi frowned as he watched his brother walk away. _'Perhaps I shouldn't have said anything,'_ he thought, wondering how he'd make his brother feel better again. He looked back at the television, knowing that it was just the beginning of the battle with the press. They were going to take the story and run with it, there was no doubt in his mind on that.

**NS**

"What the hell is this?" Minato asked as he barged into Naruto's room. He was angry to the point that livid would be a better word to describe him. He looked as if he was ready to kill, perhaps not literally but Naruto had a feeling he was going to get an ear full. He didn't know what he did and he wasn't sure that he wanted to find out.

"What's what?" he asked nervously as he turned toward his father. He looked at what he was holding and all he could think was, _'Oh shit.'_ He swallowed the lump in his throat and tried to calm his breathing as he looked at a picture of him and Sasuke on the dance floor. "A picture," was his only answer.

"Naruto," his father said with a warning tone. "I _know_ what it is," he said angrily. "I _want_ to hear that someone cropped it or that it's all just a big misunderstanding," he said, looking at his son for some sort of explanation. He didn't mean to be so hard on his son, but he knew that even the smallest of pictures could ruin a campaign.

"I'm sorry," he said. He was getting nervous, which wasn't good for him because he tended to talk more than he should when he was really nervous, "Trust me I wish I could say it was fake too because the morning after that was the most awkward morning of my life." He looked at his father, who was giving him an annoyed look, he nervously rubbed the back of his neck and said, "You probably don't want to hear about that."

"No, I really don't," he replied. "Look, I'm fine with you being bisexual," he started, not wanting to make his son feel bad about his sexuality. "But I can't have pictures like this floating around during election time," he told him. "You're not even dating the boy, you shouldn't be dancing like that with him," he said. He that he was liberal on some things, but the way the two had been dancing was nowhere near what he thought was appropriate.

"I'm sorry dad, I was drunk," he said. "I mean it could have been worse, they could have got a picture of us practically ripping each others clothes off when we got to Sasuke's house," he told him, though after he said it he knew that he probably only made things worse.

"I better not see those pictures surface later," he said as he walked out of his son's room. _'Why did I pick such a stressful profession?'_ he asked himself. _'Or couldn't I just have had the shy boys to go along with the profession? Then I wouldn't have to worry so much,'_ he thought. While Minato loved his sons deeply, they tended to cause a bit of trouble at times, even when they didn't mean to. _'Maybe I shouldn't have been so hard on him,'_ he realized as he started to walk down the hall.

**NS**

Sasuke looked at his phone, _'What should I do?'_ He knew what the right thing to do would be, or at least what the right thing for the company would be. He flipped through his contacts until he got to Naruto's name. After staring at it for a while he thought, _'Just do it.'_ He pressed the call button, knowing he'd have to do it sooner or later.

" _Hello?"_ Naruto said cheerfully. It was truly a call he was dreading. After everything that had happened between them and then the pictures surfacing, he had a feeling it wasn't going to be a good call from Sasuke. He knew for a fact that it wasn't going to be Sasuke calling just to hang out.

Sasuke was silent for a moment, though Naruto knew that he was there. "Hey," he finally said. "So, I figure since it's everywhere you've probably heard the rumors," Sasuke said, not knowing how else to start the conversation. He knew it was going to be awkward, he didn't know how to make it not be.

" _Uh, yeah,"_ Naruto said. _"Pretty funny huh?"_ he asked. _"I mean it was just a night out,"_ he added, trying to relieve some of the tension. Naruto shifted on his bed, trying to make himself comfortable, since the conversation was already making him the complete opposite of that.

"Right," Sasuke said, his voice sounding more lifeless than usual. "Though I don't know that funny is the word I'd use," he argued. Before Naruto could say anything, Sasuke said, "Look, Naruto, I called because I had to tell you that I can't go out with you and Kiba anymore."

" _What do you mean can't? I mean we can still go out we just won't drink. This will all blow over Sasuke. If nothing else we can at least hang out, right?"_ Naruto asked, hoping the answer would be yes. He thought the dark haired man was being completely unreasonable. _'All of this just because of one stupid rumor?'_ the blond thought angrily.

"Actually, I think it'd be best if we didn't," Sasuke said. He felt bad saying it, but he knew that he had to; it was for the good of the company. "Us hanging out together will only fuel the rumors and it's bad publicity for both my company and your father," he pointed out. "I just think it'd be best for everyone if we stopped," he said, feeling as if he were breaking up with someone.

" _But Sasuke, don't you think you're being a little unreasonable?"_ he asked. Naruto felt his heart break a little and he wasn't sure why. They weren't that good of friends, he shouldn't be that disappointed, so he wasn't sure why he was. _"Can't we just talk about this?"_ he asked, thinking that they could still be friends if they just deny the rumor.

"No," Sasuke simply said. "Goodbye Naruto," he said, knowing if he stayed on the phone any longer he may be convinced otherwise. He hung up before the blond could get another word in. Sasuke lied back on his bed, looking up at his ceiling, _'I hope I made the right choice.'_


	15. Without You

**The way to love anything is to realize that it may be lost. ~G.K. Chesterton**

It had been over a week since Naruto had seen Sasuke. The man was avoiding him as if he were the plague. They hadn't spoken or even been near each other in what felt like forever. The blond was moping around his house, but not doing much to fix the problem. Kurama found his brother's behavior childish, so he decided it was time to knock some sense into him. The red head sat next to his brother, "Are you ever going to get over this?"

"I was really getting used to hanging out with him," Naruto said lamely as he ate chips out of the bag on his lap. "We were actually starting to feel like friends. Hell, he was actually starting to see me as a friend," the blond further explained as he continued to eat. "Plus it was just really fun to annoy him," Naruto smiled as he thought about his time with Sasuke.

Kurama looked at him in disgust as he took the bag of chips away, "First off, stop eating. At this rate you're going to get fat." He turned more toward his brother as he said, "Secondly, if you really want to be his friend, don't take no for an answer. You never have before, why is this time any different?"

Naruto was silent for a moment, "I'm not sure." He sat there thinking before he asked, "The guy won't even come within five feet of me, how will I get him to talk to me?"

"I'm sure you'll think of something," Kurama smiled. "You always come up with some kind of stupid and crazy plan," he added as he pats his brother on the shoulder. "Also, you really need to think about how you feel about Sasuke," Kurama added.

"What the hell does that mean?" Naruto said. He knew what he meant but didn't want to believe that was what his brother was insinuating.

"I think you like him more than you want to admit," Kurama told him. The look on his face told the blond that he was completely serious, which scared Naruto a little.

"How can I like him, I hardly know him," Naruto said, the denial kicking in. He looked away from his brother, not wanting to meet his eyes. He didn't want to admit that there might be a little bit of truth to his words.

"It's not like I said you're in love with him," Kurama pointed out. "You can fall into like very fast, all it takes is a physical attraction and perhaps some emotional attraction, I think you have both," he explained. Seeing that he wasn't going to get a response, the red head decided to end the conversation. "Whatever you do, just stop sitting around on the couch all day," he added before getting up and making his way out of the room, leaving Naruto to think about what he said.

**NS**

Sasuke couldn't walk out of his house without seeing some form of press waiting for him. All he wanted to do was go out and get coffee, but he was almost immediately met with cameras and questions. He tried to get out without answering questions by the use of his car, but all of his efforts were proven useless as the press bombarded him the moment he got out of his car. _'It should not be this difficult to get coffee,'_ he thought as he pushed his way through the crowd.

"Mr. Uchiha," a reporter called. "Mr. Uchiha," he called again, though the dark haired man just continued walking. "Please, just one moment," he asked, though the young man just continued to walk. The reporter blocked Sasuke's path, "Just answer our questions."

"Get out of my way," Sasuke growled angrily. He glared at the man as if he wanted him to burst into flames. The reporter showed no signs of moving so Sasuke sighed and asked, "What do you want?" He was already annoyed and late, he looked at his watch and thought, _'I was supposed to meet Itachi ten minutes ago.'_

"Are the rumors true that you're dating Namikaze Naruto?" the man asked. "If you haven't seen there have been some incriminating evidence," he pointed to the photo in his hand.

The young heir grabbed the photo and crumbled it up, "He is an acquaintance." He threw the photo on the ground and he continued, "Nothing more, nothing less." He started to push his way through the crowd, pushing the video cameras off of him in the process.

**NS**

Naruto and Kiba sat at the dog lover's house watching television. They were watching one of those trashy daytime celebrity gossip shows, "Isn't there anything better on?" Naruto looked at Kiba, wanting him to hand over the controller.

"Afraid you'll see your lover boy?" the brunet laughed.

Naruto blushed as he sank in his chair, mumbling, "No." He knew that Sasuke had been on a lot of those shows after the picture incident, but that was only part of the reason he didn't want to watch the show. He truly didn't like the type of show, but he knew there was no convincing Kiba that.

It wasn't until the reporter said, _"Live from Aimi's Coffee Shop we just got a brief interview with Uchiha Sasuke."_ Naruto's eyes widened, that was all he needed to hear before he got up and made his way toward the door.

"Dude where are you going?" Kiba asked. He looked at the television, not wanting to believe that Naruto would actually put _that_ much effort into befriending one person. "You can't be serious!" he called after him. "This is making you seem kind of like a stalker," he told him, hoping to stop him, but having no luck.

**NS**

Sasuke sat in the coffee shop across from his brother. Itachi couldn't help but notice how miserable the younger Uchiha looked, "You could at least pretend to be happy." Sasuke looked at him, surprised by his words. "I didn't tell you to stop all communication with Naruto and if I knew this would be the result, I would have to you not to," Itachi told him.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Sasuke said as he looked down. He was suddenly finding his coffee interesting, as he started to stir it.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about," Itachi said sternly. "If you like him, talk to him, no one is stopping you," the older man said.

"Look, I don't want to talk about it. Can we just go?" Sasuke said as he got up, annoyed by the conversation. "I don't _want_ to talk to him, just drop it," he said to Itachi, trying to convince himself as well.

"You keep telling yourself that, maybe it'll become true," Itachi responded as he followed his brother out of the coffee shop.

**NS**

Naruto ran into the coffee shop and looked around. He felt a little defeated when Sasuke was nowhere to be found. He let out a sigh as he walked over to the counter, "Was Uchiha Sasuke here?"

The guy behind the counter just nodded, "Yeah." His mannerism told Naruto that the man was the stereotypical gay man, he put his hand on his hip as a glazed look came over his face, "He comes in here every day around twelve." He smiled as he thought about it, "He always tips well, and I'm starting to think we have a real connection."

Kiba tried not to laugh and Naruto just nodded as he thought, _'This man is delusional.'_ He backed away from the counter, and the brunet standing behind it, "Right, thanks for the information."

"Looks like you have some competition," Kiba laughed when they walked out of the coffee shop. Naruto elbowed him in the side, causing Kiba to laugh more, "What it'd make sense, why else would he come back every day? Maybe he just likes guys with blue eyes."

"You're such a moron," Naruto grumbled as the walked toward the blonde's car. "Stop making it seem like I'm in love with Sasuke or something," he said as he got into his car.

"Then stop acting like you're in love with him," Kiba said. "Stalker," he grinned. The look he received from the blond only made him laugh more, "You're not scary."

**NS**

The Uchihas and the Namikazes had been very cautious ever since the pictures had been released and Orochimaru didn't like it. "I need more dirt on them," he said as he looked at the latest photos Kabuto had brought him. "These are dull, I need more," he ordered.

"I think this will do the trick," Kabuto smirked as he handed Orochimaru a picture of Kurama and Itachi. They were rather close, though without the power of suggestion it probably wouldn't seem like much. "I have information from a waiter that they were out on a date," he informed his boss.

Orochimaru grinned, "That is the kind of dirt that I was looking for." He leans back in his chair, "Release it, with the statement from an unnamed reliable source."

Kabuto nodded, "Will do." He quickly headed out of the room to do his boss's dirty work. _'The things that I do to keep my job,'_ he thought as he made his way toward the nearest media outlet, photo in hand.

**NS**

"Now you?" Minato asked as he stepped into the living room looking angry and holding a photo. All of his focus was on Kurama, though the red head didn't know why.

"What's going on?" Kurama asked as he stood to confront his father. The older Namikaze handed him the photo but remained silent. The red head looked at it and the statement that went along with it. "Oh," he said, though didn't deny any of it.

"You're not going to be like you're brother and deny it?" he asked, hoping that he would. He wanted just one of his sons to settle down with a nice girl, he didn't think that was too much to ask.

"No," Kurama said. "There's nothing to deny, it's true," the man shrugged. He didn't see what was wrong with it; he figured it would come out eventually.

"You didn't think to tell me what was going on?" Minato asked. "So I could prepare for it," he added.

"Just say it's Orochimaru's desperate attempt at getting you out of office," Kurama said. "This proves nothing," he pointed out. "With out his suggestion, people wouldn't even think twice about thinking it could be a business dinner or even a dinner between friends," he told his father. "I'm sure that's what Itachi will say too," he assured him.

Minato didn't seem to relax at his son's words. "I hope you're right," he said. He tried to calm down as he walked out of the room. He didn't want to be the bad guy, but his sons were keeping secrets from him and it wasn't helping his campaign.

**NS**

Kurama's business line rang. He was reluctant to answer, as it was late at night and he didn't think that anyone truly calling on behalf of business would call at that hour. He looked at the clock and it read ten. He sighed and answered anyway, "Hello?"

"Kurama, did you get my picture?" the voice on the other line asked. The voice taunted him, almost mocked him, and was certainly trying to belittle him. "I'm sure your father _loved_ it, did he not?" he man asked.

"Orochimaru, go to hell," Kurama said with a slight growl and complete annoyance. "Stop being petty and deal with the fact that you're never going to get dad out of office until the number of times he can run is up," he said angrily.

"You're right, you're going to do it for me," the man said. He smirked as he explained, "You and your brother are going to be the downfall of your father and so I just wanted to call and personally thank you for that. I just never expected you'd help me bring down the Uchihas as well in the process."

"Even if my father doesn't win, there are many other people that'd win before they'd elect you," Kurama said angrily as he hung up the phone. _'Damn it, why'd I let him get to me?'_ he thought as he closed his eyes. _'I can't let him get to me.'_


	16. Coffee

**"I love you, not only for what you are, But for what I am when I am with you." - Roy Croft**

"Where the hell are we going?" Kiba asked as Naruto led him down the street. He had a feeling that he knew the answer, as it was in the same direction of the coffee shop they were at the day before. "We _never_ go to this side of town, so why now?" he asked, following the blond.

"You'll see," Naruto said, looking at his watch. It was quarter to noon, which just made him walk faster.

"This is about Sasuke isn't it?" he asked, slightly annoyed. When the blonde didn't answer, Kiba knew immediately that meant yes. "Have I told you before that you're a stalker?" the brunette asked. "Because you are," he added. "I just can't wait to see how you explain why you're on this side of town.”

"Shut up, asshole," Naruto mumbled. "Nobody asked you.” When they got to the coffee shop Naruto looked around for the dark haired man, but didn't see him, "Let's get some coffee."

"It certainly won't make you look so much like a stalker if you have coffee," the other man shrugged. They got their coffee and sat down, "Seriously, you think that making him talk to you will change his mind?"

The door opened and Sasuke and Itachi walked in. "There's only one way to find out," Naruto answered as he got up and walked toward the brothers.

Sasuke hated to wait; therefore, he was annoyed when he saw the long line at the coffee shop. He ran his hand through his hair and mumbled, "It's a good thing they have good coffee." He shifted his position as he let out a sigh.

Itachi looked around the coffee shop and saw Naruto and Kiba at a table. _'This should be interesting,'_ he thought, but he didn't say anything to Sasuke about the other man's presence. He knew by the determined look in the other man's eyes that he was going to come talk to them.

"Sasuke," Naruto said as he approached them. When the dark haired man turned to him, Naruto smiled and pleaded, "Please just hear me out."

Sasuke was hesitant, but Itachi cut in and said, "Go ahead, I'll get us coffee." Before Sasuke could argue, Itachi continued, "Ignore what I said before."

"Fine," Sasuke said as he let himself be pulled away from his brother. He looked back at his brother, whom just nodded in assurance.

Naruto led Sasuke outside, away from where everyone could hear them. "Look, I know that you said that we shouldn't talk because of all of the stupid gossip, but I don't care about any of that. I don't care about the gossip," he said. He looked down, trying to figure out how to explain himself, "We were getting to be good friends and I just don't think that we should let stupid gossip get in the way of that." His heart was beating erratically and he didn't want to admit the reasons why, all he knew was that he _had_ to convince Sasuke to just start talking to him again.

The pale man nodded, hearing what he was saying. He looked around, somewhat paranoid. He saw that none of the passersby were even looking at them and that none of them truly cared. The only time one would look was if the were eying them appreciatively. When he saw a woman stare at Naruto, he couldn't help but feel a little jealous – though he didn't want to admit why, nor did he want to show it. He looked at the hopeful blue eyes, finding that he couldn't deny him, "Fine."

Naruto gave a brilliant grin. "I knew that you missed me too," he said, pulling the other man into a quick, brotherly hug.

Sasuke let out a deep breath, feeling light butterflies in the pit of his stomach. "Moron," was all he said as he calmly pushed the other man off. He just gave a small smile, "I have to get back to my brother."

Naruto nodded and smiled as he watched Sasuke walk away. He waited until the dark haired man was out of sight and he silently cheered. _'Yes!'_ he cheered with a small dance.

Shortly after Sasuke walked into the coffee shop, Itachi walked out. "Naruto?" the older man said, capturing the blonde's attention. "Answer me one question," he started. "What are your intentions with my brother?" he asked.

"What?" Naruto asked, surprised by the question. He looked at Itachi, trying to figure out what answer the man _wanted_ to hear. _'What should I say?'_ he wondered, knowing how much of an influence Itachi had on his brother.

"I have a feeling my brother is starting to like you as more than a friend," Itachi explained. "I can't approve of this friendship if you're only going to play with his heart," he added. His tone was serious, as he was once again going into over-protective brother mode.

"I don't _like_ Sasuke," Naruto said, trying to even convince even his own heart. "But that doesn't mean that I will break his heart," he added. "I said that I want to be friends and I whole heartedly mean that," he assured the older Uchiha.

“In fact, I will not hesitate to hurt you if you hurt him," Itachi told him with complete seriousness. "If you lead him on, I will kill you," he wanted to make sure it was very clear what would happen if Sasuke ended up with a broken heart because of him.

Naruto looked at him, a little bit of fear in his eyes. "I understand," the blonde said. "But, I don't plan on hurting him," he added.

"Good, then we won't have a problem," Itachi said.

**NS**

Meanwhile, as Sasuke got his coffee, he also bought a piece of cinnamon coffee cake. He was slightly startled when he heard, "Admit it, you like Naruto." The dark haired man turned to see Kiba behind him.

"Shut up," he responded. He didn't deny the other man's words; rather he just headed for the door.

Kiba stopped him by grabbing his arm. "Look, no matter what Naruto may say, I _know_ that he has feelings for you." He let out a deep breath, "I think you're a good guy, just don't prove me wrong."

"I don't like him," Sasuke said defensively. He knew by the butterflies in his stomach, he might be lying to both himself and Kiba. "I agreed to be his friend, nothing else."

"Keep telling yourself that," Kiba laughed. "Eventually both you and Naruto will stop your denial," he said.

"I don't know what you think you know, but you're wrong," Sasuke said. "You're as delusional as those gossip columnist," he added. "Naruto wants to be friends, that's all. Just get that through your head," he told the brunet.

"We both know that you don't believe that," Kiba said. "But I'll let you get away with it for now. Only because Naruto's in denial too though," he said to the dark haired man. "If you ever need advice about him, just ask," the man said. "I want what's best for him, so if that's you, I'm here to help," he explained, trying to be a good best friend.

"No offense Kiba," Sasuke started, trying to figure out how to phrase what he wanted to say. "But, you'd probably be the last person I'd go to on advice for anything.”

Kiba just laughed, "You say that now." He smiled, "But really, I'm just happy you guys are talking again, you have no idea how annoying he was being."

"Kiba?" Sasuke interrupted. He just wanted to get away from the conversation. He found the brunette to be annoying and the conversation wasn't helping his opinion. When he found that he got the other man's full attention, the young Uchiha said, "Not that this conversation hasn't been great, but I really do have to get going. Some of us have a life other than being able to chit-chat in a coffee shop." His words were laced with annoyance. He just gave a quick nod goodbye and made his way out of the coffee shop.

When Sasuke walked out, he saw Itachi and Naruto talking. The blonde looked slightly scared and he could tell that Itachi was in his older brother mode. "What's going on?" he asked suspiciously.

"We're just talking," Itachi shrugged. "But now we should get going," he continued, seeing the look in Sasuke's eyes. He didn't need his brother asking questions about their conversation, there was no need for it.

"Right," Sasuke said. "Let's go then," he said. It was obvious there was something on his mind. He wasn't arguing or demanding to know what they had been talking about, which was the main indication that something that was on his mind.

"Remember what I said," Itachi said to Naruto. The blonde nodded and Itachi said, "Let's go." His brother didn't argue, instead he followed him down the street.

' _Kiba can't be right in what he said,'_ the younger Uchiha thought. _'He doesn't know what he's talking about. We're just good friends,'_ he tried to convince himself.

"Are you okay?" Itachi interrupted his thoughts. "Is something on your mind?" he asked. "You seem distracted," he pointed out.

"I'm fine," Sasuke assured him. "I'm just tired," he told his brother. _'And confused,'_ he thought, but didn't say.

"What do you think of Naruto?" he suddenly asked, surprising Sasuke. Itachi felt that he already knew, but he wanted to hear his brother admit it. He knew that if Sasuke admitted it, he'd help the blonde truly win his brother's heart. It was just getting them to both admit their feelings first.

"Why is everyone brining him up today?" Sasuke asked. He looked away from his brother and said, "He's just a friend." He then crossed his arms and muttered, "Why can't people understand that?"

"A friend?" Itachi asked, causing Sasuke to nod. "Okay," he said, though he didn't believe his brother. _'He's never lied to me before,"_ Itachi thought. _'So why do I feel like he's not telling me everything now?"_ he wondered. "You know if you need to talk, I'm here," Itachi said.

"I know," Sasuke bit his lip. "But there's nothing wrong," he assured him once again, which just made Itachi not believe him even more. _'How can I talk to him about it when I'm not even sure myself?'_ he wondered. _'Now is just not the time to talk about this,'_ he told himself, feeling that it was the right choice for him to keep his thoughts to himself.


	17. Pictures

**"There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved." -George Sand**

Kurama could still hear Orochimaru's words ringing in his head. He knew he couldn't talk to Naruto about it; it would just freak him out and make him question everything. Instead, he called Itachi. The two were talking quietly in Kurama's office, as Naruto was in the studio looking at the pictures for the article. "He's helping me choose which ones to use," the red head explained as he shut his office door.

"You let him get to you," Itachi said as he looked at the red head. Kurama sat down, but didn't say anything. "You let Orochimaru get inside your head," he repeated calmly. He knew that was the reason Kurama called him, since the man practically ranted about Orochimaru over the phone.

"I couldn't help it," Kurama sighed. "The man is just so," he paused, looking for the right words. "Infuriating," he finished. He leaned back in his chair as he mumbled, "You don't get it because he isn't taunting you."

"He's not stupid," Itachi shrugged. "He remembers what happened the last time he tried to taunt me, it's probably the reason he called you rather than talked to you in person," he said, but didn't explain any further.

"In other words he's afraid of you," Kurama clarified for himself. Itachi just gave a small smirk, indicating that he was correct. "The man is like a bad virus that won't go away," Kurama said.

"He's just too stupid for his own good," Itachi replied. "If he were smart, he would have just given up by now," he shook his head in disapproval. "But if you don't let him get to you, he won't have anything to use," he added.

"I know," Kurama frowned. "It's just what he said about my dad, I'd feel horrible if I were the reason he didn't win the election," he told the dark haired man. "Just like I'd feel horrible if I were the reason your business started to fail," he added.

"Don't worry about that," Itachi said. "My sales have actually gone up," he explained to the other man. "People aren't as closed minded as Orochimaru would like to believe," he said, leaning his elbows on Kurama's desk. "I'm sure the older crowd is, but that crowd is dying off and the younger people seem to be much more open to homosexuality," he tried to comfort the red head. "Besides, your father is a liberal, it's not like he was getting those people's votes anyways. Anyone Orochimaru made dislike your father because of the pictures already didn't like his politics," he added just to solidify his point.

"I get it," Kurama said. "It probably won't make a difference either way," he smiled. "Thank you.”

Itachi gave a quick nod. He looked over toward the studio and asked, "Mind if I see the photos?"

"Not at all," Kurama stood up. Itachi followed as he walked out of the office, toward the younger Namikaze. "Go right ahead, but try not to pick on my brother _too_ much," he smiled before he started to walk over to some of his employees to check on their work.

Itachi looked over Naruto's shoulder to see what he was staring so intensely at. He saw a rather peaceful picture of his brother in the blonde's hands. Itachi cocked an eyebrow as he looked from the picture to the loving look on Naruto's face. "Are you sure that you don't have feelings for my brother?" he asked, scaring the blond.

Naruto had been so wrapped up in looking at the picture, especially one in particular, that he didn't even hear his brother and Itachi come out of the office. Naruto started to blush at the question, knowing that he'd been caught red-handed. "Well, um," he tried to look for the right words. He looked back down at the picture and knew that he couldn't deny his feelings. His heart sped up when he even looked at a picture of Sasuke, if that didn't mean that he liked him then he didn't know what did. "Yeah," he licked his lips.

"Yes you like him or yes you're sure you don't?" Itachi questioned. He loved messing with the blonde, especially when he was pretty sure that he knew what he meant.

Naruto blushed and put the picture down, "You know what I meant." He leaned back, covering his eyes with his arm as he said, "God damn it, how did this happen?" He was talking more to himself than to Itachi, but he had to let the frustration out somehow. "Think the universe hates me and gets enjoyment out of making me miserable," he frowned as he complained.

"What, is my brother not good enough for you?" Itachi asked with a raised eyebrow. He was once again teasing the blonde, just trying to get a reaction from him.

"What? No, that's not what I meant," Naruto said quickly as he sat up, letting his arm fall to his side. "I just mean the guy is completely annoyed by me," Naruto started trying to explain. "It's not like he likes me back," he added, trying to get Itachi to understand.

The older man smirked, "You really are blind aren't you?" He paused for a moment before he said, "I'll help you win over my brother." When he saw the excited look on his eyes, he added, "Under one condition."

"What is it?" he asked with a grin. He knew if there were one person that could help him with Sasuke, it'd be Itachi. Since he figured out his feelings there was no way he was going to give up without a fight.

"I need you to put your photography skills to work," he said with a sly look in his eyes and a slightly evil smirk.

"What do you need me to do?" Naruto asked cautiously. He was a bit intimidated by the look and wondered what Itachi had planned. "It's not going to put my life in danger, is it?" he asked nervously.

"No," he answered. "Well, it shouldn't," he shrugged. He looked the blonde straight in the eyes to show that he was completely serious in his request. "I need you to get me something on Orochimaru. I don't care what, I just need something that I can use as blackmail," he explained as Naruto nodded. Itachi saw a pad of paper and a pen on the table in front of them, he grabbed it and quickly wrote down two addresses, "The first is his business address, the second is his home. I'm sure you'll find something on him and probably fairly quick. Good luck."

As the Uchiha walked away, Naruto quickly said, "Hey, you didn't tell me anything about your brother!"

"I'm not stupid, get me the picture that I want and I'll give you the information that you want," he answered. "As I said, good luck," he smirked as he walked over to Kurama to say his quick goodbye.

**NS**

Naruto had his camera in hand as he crouched in the bushes next to the window of Orochimaru's office. He had found himself in that position the past few days and was ready to be done with it. _'Come on, do something bad,'_ he thought as he stared at the older man. He looked at his watch, seeing that he had been there for almost an hour, _'I'm so bored.'_

Inside, Orochimaru was signing some papers. It seemed completely innocent, though Naruto had a feeling that it probably wasn't, _'If only I could see what is on those papers.'_ It was then that Naruto's eyes widened as he saw Kabuto walk into the room. The blond waited a moment to see if anything happened and was pleased with what he grinned and started taking pictures, making sure that it showed clearly it was clear who it was in the pictures. _'Itachi is going to love this,'_ he thought excitedly. He just grinned as he snapped photos of the two talking closely, _'I know it's probably completely innocent, but that doesn't mean that it has to be perceived that way.'_ Although the blonde didn't think anything was really going on between the two men, he knew that people would believe whatever they wanted to after seeing a picture.

**NS**

The next day, Naruto walked into the Uchiha Corporation main office, determined to talk to Itachi. As he made his way toward the office that the woman at the front desk had pointed him to, he passed Sasuke's office. He smiled at the young Uchiha; ignoring the confused look the other man was giving him. He found Itachi's office by the nameplate hanging next to the open door. He knocked on the open door, causing the Uchiha to look up. "Can I come in?" he asked.

Itachi nodded, "Do you have what I asked for?" He stopped working as he sat up straight and looked intently at the blond. "Or is there some other reason you came to see me today?" he asked somewhat sarcastically.

"I got the pictures," Naruto answered, taking a seat across from Itachi. "I think you'll find them rather ironic considering the pictures he released. Or at least what you could imply with them." He took out a folder containing the pictures and showed it to the other man, "They're all in here." He held onto the pictures as he added, "But I expect some good information on your brother if I give these to you."

Itachi just smirked, "We'll see how good the pictures are." He leaned across the desk and grabbed the folder out of Naruto's hands, "Let's see what you have here." Itachi started to flip through the photos, "I see what you mean."

"Then give me the information that I want," Naruto replied, causing Itachi to chuckle. "I'm serious," he huffed.

' _If twisted a certain way, these photos would certainly destroy his political career,'_ Itachi thought as he stared at the picture of the two men. "No need to get desperate," he replied, deciding to torture him a little longer. He took a moment to think of what to say, "You need to be persistent." He relaxed in his chair as he put the pictures on his desk, "Sasuke likes going to quiet places, not busy bars or clubs. But if you _must_ take him to a bar, don't take him somewhere they're going to play loud rap or pop music because he likes rock. Also, actually try to get to know him, his biggest argument is that he can't like you because he hardly knows you." He leaned forward once again and looked down at his work, "Now please go, I have work to do."

"That's it?" Naruto asked with a frown. "That was hardly worth going through the trouble of getting those stupid pictures," he mumbled as he stood to leave.

"Nice gestures go a long way with my brother," Itachi told him. "What more do you need to know?" he asked as he shrugged. "As I said get to know him, not through me, but through him," he added, though didn't look up from his work.

Naruto just nodded, taking in the information, "Okay, thanks Itachi." He smiled as he started to think of a plan to woo Sasuke as he walked out of Itachi's office.

"One last thing," Itachi said, making Naruto stop in his tracks and turn toward the Uchiha. Itachi was staring at him with a very serious look on his face as he said, "Remember that if you hurt him, I will not hesitate to hurt you."

Naruto nodded, not able to find words. He found Itachi rather intimidating because he knew Itachi wasn't just threatening him, he was _promising_ him pain if he did anything to hurt Sasuke. All Naruto could do was nod and quickly make his way out of Itachi's office and down the hall. He saw Sasuke's name next to a door, knowing it was his office, which made the blonde pause a moment. _'I'll win him over, it's just a matter of time,'_ Naruto thought as he looked into the younger Uchiha's office. However, he didn't want to seem weird so he walked away rather than continuing his staring.


	18. Confrontation

**"If I know what love is, it is because of you." -Herman Hesse**

Itachi stood in a secluded alley, he was waiting for someone and he knew that he'd need to be away from the public eye. It wasn't that he cared about this person's reputation, he did it just incase it turned ugly. "Itachi, I hope you're not here to attempt to kill me," a voice said as the man he was waiting for walked into the alley. "I brought a friend with me, you know just incase," he added as he signaled toward the other man.

"I don't think that I'll need to resort to something so low," Itachi answered with a smirk. "I expected you to bring your little lackey, after all, you bring him everywhere. Don't you?" he said, his voice lacking any true emotions.

It frustrated Orochimaru how calm the man seemed. He noticed that there was a slight arrogance to his words. He looked at the folder in the other man's hand and started to wonder what could be in it. _'What does he have planned?'_ he asked himself. "What's your point?" he asked, trying to feign an air of boredom and a lack of interest.

"Well," Itachi started. "I'm sure that I'm not the only one that has noticed," he told him. "In fact, I'm sure that with the photos I've obtained many will start to think there is something more to this _relationship_ ," he said, pulling one of the photos out of the folder.

"We've done nothing to indicate that there is a _relationship_ going on between us," Orochimaru said with full confidence. _'He's got nothing,'_ the man laughed to himself. He was sure there was no way that the man had incriminating photos of him and Kabuto.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that if I were you," Itachi said with a slight smirk. "After all, I'm sure all of those late nights in your office _must_ have put the two of you into a compromising position at least once," he continued, still not showing the man the photo.

"I don't believe you," Orochimaru informed him. "No one is going to believe that the two of us have anything going on," he chuckled. "Really Itachi, now you're just getting desperate," he added.

"You mean like my brother and Naruto are just friends?" he asked. "I mean you got some interesting photos of them without them being in a relationship," he said looking the man directly in the eyes. "A picture is worth a thousand words, isn't that what they say?" he said, making the man slightly nervous. "Things can so easily be twisted," he said, once again looking at the picture.

"Let me see it then," the man said angrily. He wasn't going to believe him until he saw proof that Itachi had photos that made him look as if they had a relationship that wasn't simply platonic.

Itachi just shrugged as he handed Orochimaru the photo. The older man looked down to see a picture of him and Kabuto in his office. Kabuto was leaning over the man's shoulder, but that wasn't the reason it looked bad. It was the way they were looking at each other that could make it look as if it weren't just a professional relationship. Their faces were close, so close that it looked as if they might kiss. There was something about the look on each of the man's face that made it seem as if they were something more and it worried the older man. He knew that the press ran with a story just because Sasuke and Naruto were seen together, he didn't want to imagine what they'd be able to do with a picture like the one that was presented before him. "As I said, a picture is worth a thousand words," Itachi reminded him.

"What do you want?" Orochimaru asked. "I've already seen that your sales have gone up, there is no reason for you to want this picture to get out," he said, staring at the man angrily. "Usually you'd ignore my accusations," he pointed out. "Why is this time different?" he asked.

"Because this time you've been trying to bring down someone other than me," he answered. "Your little accusations need to stop," he added. "And if you do continue these pictures _will_ be released," he told the other man with a threatening tone to his voice.

"You actually care for Namikaze," the man smirked. "Or at least Kurama," he added. Orochimaru continued, "Isn't that sweet? You're defending your little boyfriend."

"Just remember what I said," Itachi said, not denying what Orochimaru said. He made his way out of the alley, "I won't warn you again."

**NS**

Kurama sat as his desk looking down at the rough draft of the article on the Uchihas. He was unsure about it; most of the information he wrote on Itachi wasn't from the interview. He knew the portion Naruto with the information he gave on Sasuke was probably just from the interview. He read over part of the portion on Itachi, which only made him feel guiltier.

_The Uchihas, they are probably the most well known name in the business world. They are also two of the youngest names in the business world. After taking on the responsibility of the Uchiha Corporation when their parents' untimely death they quickly became the most talked about people in the industry. It was clear when interviewing Uchiha Itachi that the death of their parents had deeply affected the two brothers, not only in their choice of career, but also in their personalities._

_While interviewing the oldest brother, Itachi, it seemed as if he was not very trustworthy. He tried to avoid anything personal during our conversation and instead stuck to the trivial matters. It's understandable why with the Uchihas' good looks and money why the two would take awhile to truly trust anyone. In talking to him I found that it seemed there were only a handful of people the two trusted: each other and their advisor and pseudo father, Hatake Kakashi._

_I call him their pseudo father because he was Itachi and Sasuke's guardian and a close family friend. The man ran the company while the two learned the basics of business and is currently their advisor. Though the two grew up with the man, it seems as if he didn't affect the way that they thought. Kakashi seems to have a more, for lack of a better word, playful personality. I'm told that he often would tease the two as they grew up._

_As I said earlier, Uchiha Itachi wouldn't delve into his personal life. He stayed with the trivial things, which since the brothers don't often reveal things about them, unless it's about their business, some people may be interested in knowing the interesting facts that I learned about Itachi. Later in this article, I'll talk about the things learned about the youngest Uchiha, Sasuke, but to start this off, I'll tell the interesting things that were learned about Uchiha Itachi._

The article then went on to the things he learned about Itachi when they talked. He was nervous because most of the things in the article were things that he learned while on their date. He knew that Itachi didn't want things about his personal life, even if it were just his hobbies and favorite color, and so he hoped that the man wouldn't be too mad at him. Itachi had specifically stuck to things about the company in their interview and when reading the article over once again, he knew that there were only a few things in the article about the company and what they had talked about during the actual interview. _'Its not like I revealed anything too personal. I didn't tell that he was gay, nor did I reveal things that were too personal for anyone to read. I just hope he sees it that way,'_ Kurama thought as he put the article down on his desk.

**NS**

Naruto sat in his living room, on the couch, playing with a baseball he found when cleaning his room. He was throwing it up and catching it, _'I'm bored.'_

"Is there a reason that you're playing with a baseball?" Kurama asked, catching the ball before it could get back to Naruto. He laughed when he saw Naruto jump a little, "Did I startle you?" He had an amused look on his face as the blond glared at him.

"No," Naruto denied. "How did you get in without me hearing you?" he asked. "I mean really you're never that quiet," he said, pouting a little that his brother had indeed startled him.

"Maybe you were just having too much fun playing with your little ball," he teased as he dropped it onto the other man's stomach. Naruto just rolled his eyes, believing that his brother had purposely snuck in just so he could scare him. "Look I need your advice on something," Kurama said as he sat on the other end of the large couch.

Naruto looked surprised, "For once you need my help instead of the other way around?" He looked pleased with himself as he said, "I should write this down." He got up and walked over to the calendar, pen in hand.

"Stop being childish," Kurama said as he got up and grabbed the pen from his brother. Naruto just laughed and jumped up to sit on the counter. "I'm serious," he added.

"Okay, I'm sorry," the blond laughed. "So what is it that you need my advice on?" he asked. He stopped smiling with amusement and made himself act serious. He knew if his brother was coming to him for advice then it must be important.

"It's about the article," Kurama said. "I wrote something and I'm not sure that I want to use it," he told him, leaning back on the counter adjacent to Naruto. He wasn't facing the other man, mainly because he didn't really want to see the blonde's reaction.

"Well, what did you write?" Naruto asked confused as to what would make his brother second-guess his writing. "I mean you just used things that he told you, right?" he said, looking at his brother.

"Yeah, I used things that he told me," Kurama said, feeling rather guilty. "Just not many things that he told me during the interview," he added with a sigh. He looked at Naruto, who was looking at him with a frown. "Don't give me that look," Kurama said, moving away from the counter and his brother. "I did it because he only talked to me about his business during the interview. It was so boring, while the things he told me on our date where rather interesting, " he turned to face his brother as he tried to explain his actions.

"You like him right?" Naruto asked. Kurama nodded, causing the blonde to say, "Then I suggest that you rewrite it." He continued by saying, "If Itachi sees that you wrote about things that he told you on your date, he's not going to trust you anymore. Hell, he might not even _like_ you anymore."

Kurama knew that his brother was right; he just didn't want to admit it. "You're right," he finally said. "I just don't know that I can write an interesting article with the information he gave me," he frowned, still conflicted on what he should do.

**NS**

The next day, Itachi decided to go to Kurama's office to see the red head on his lunch break. "Hey," Kurama smiled as the dark haired man walked into his office. "What are you doing here?" he asked. "Not that I don't like the surprise," he quickly added.

"I'm on my lunch break," Itachi shrugged. He didn't explain his actions any further, not wanting to make Kurama's ego larger than it already was.

"I'm starting to think you really like me," Kurama smiled. "I have to go run these pictures I approved to the layout team. I'll be right back," he said as he got up and walked toward his office door. "But maybe we can go get lunch, I'm starving," he added as he walked past Itachi and out the door.

Itachi sat down in Kurama's chair, making himself comfortable in the red head's office. He started to look around the office, looking at all of the pictures of his family that decorated it. As he looked at the pictures on the desk, a piece of paper with his name on it quickly caught his eye. _'Must be the article,'_ he thought. He picked it up, _'I might as well see what he wrote.'_ As he started to read it, he started to get angry. At least half the article contained things that he didn't tell Kurama during the interview. He just shook his head and put it down, knowing Kurama would be back soon. _'I guess that I can't trust him,'_ he thought with a frown.

Kurama walked back in with a smile, "Let's get some lunch, as I said, I'm starving." He was confused by the angry look on Itachi's face, "What's wrong?"

Itachi got up, "I have to get back to work." He started toward the door, "There's an emergency." The Uchiha brushed past Kurama, obviously angry. _'What was that about?'_ he wondered. _'He can't be that mad about an emergency at work,'_ Kurama frowned, wondering what changed while he was gone.

**NS**

Itachi angrily walked into the office. To anyone else it may just look as if he was just annoyed, but Sasuke knew him better than that. He walked out of his office and down the hall to Itachi's office. "I thought you were going to lunch with Kurama," he said, trying to discreetly get his brother to talk about whatever made him so angry.

"I was," he replied. "Until I read the article on his desk," he added, looking down at his work. He was trying to pull himself into work rather than thinking about the article. He knew if he kept thinking about it he might kill the red head, metaphorically at least.

"That bad, huh?" he asked. He didn't want to get his brother more upset than he already was. Though the older Uchiha was faking indifference, Sasuke knew that he had been hurt by the other man's betrayal.

"I don't know what you told Naruto during the interview, but I suggest reading the article before getting too happy with him," Itachi replied. "If he's anything like his brother he'll fill it with things you didn't tell him during the interview," he added.

Sasuke just nodded, understanding why his brother was so angry. "Oh," was all he said, not knowing what else to say. He knew when his brother was that angry it was just best to leave him alone and let it all blow over, hoping it would all work itself out. _'He better not have done something stupid like his brother,'_ Sasuke thought as he walked out of Itachi's office, thinking about what Naruto may have written.


	19. Clueless

**"My heart is ever at your service." -William Shakespeare**

Naruto had just picked up lunch; it was part of his plan to win over Sasuke. He a spring in his step and he was whistling a happy tune. He knew better than to pick up ramen and instead opted for something healthier. He smiled as he saw Itachi walking towards him, he wasn't sure where the man was heading but he knew that he could use it to his advantage. "Itachi," he called out as he made his way to the older man.

"What do you want Naruto?" Itachi asked. He didn't seem very happy to see him, in fact he seemed quite angry with him. He wasn't angry with the blonde, but rather with the blonde's brother. He knew that he shouldn't take out his anger towards Kurama out on his little brother, but he couldn't help it.

"What's wrong?" Naruto asked, confused by Itachi's attitude.

"Nothing, don't worry about it," Itachi replied. "Now what do you want? I have somewhere to be," he said.

"So, I'm surprising your brother and taking him lunch," said Naruto, gaining an amused look from the Uchiha. "And I wanted to know if I made the right choice in food," he said, holding up the bag of food.

Itachi nodded, "He's not a picky eater, as long as you picked up something relatively healthy you'll be fine."

"That's what I wanted to hear," Naruto grinned. "Thanks Itachi," he smiled as he started to walk away. "You're the best," he said happily as he made his way toward the Uchiha Corporation. He couldn't help but think, _'He was acting weird. I wonder why he's mad at me.'_

**NS**

Naruto knocked on the open door, "Hey, mind if I join you?" He didn't wait for the answer as he sat in the chair on the opposite side of Sasuke's desk. He leaned over the desk and grabbed the pen out of Sasuke's hand, "Come on and take a break. I brought lunch." He set the bag on the desk.

Sasuke looked at him suspiciously, "Is there a reason that you're interrupting my work?" He accepted the lunch Naruto handed him, but still was suspicious of the blonde's actions. Surprise lunch dates weren’t something they did. Sasuke immediate chastised himself for even thinking the word date. It was not a date, it was a random meeting between friends.

"Well, I figured you could use a break," the blond shrugged. "I thought it'd be a good way for us to get to know each other, you know since we're friends now," he smiled. He then cursed himself as he realized he used the word friends, _'Friends? Why did I use that stupid word? Now he's going to think that this was so we could become better friends. Damn it.'_ He didn't want to be just friends with the dark haired man and he definitely didn't want to be stuck in the dreaded friend zone, that'd ensure that he didn't have a chance with him.

"Oh, while you're here, I have a question to ask you," he said, taking a break from eating and setting his food in front of him. Naruto nodded, feeling as if he were making some progress with Sasuke because the man seemed more comfortable around him. "What did you write about in the article?" he asked.

Naruto just smiled and replied, "The things you told me when I interviewed you, or at least the things you said I could write about." He then said, "You can read it if you want." Sasuke thought about it a moment before shaking his head no. "Wait is that why Itachi is mad?" he asked as a wave of realization took over him.

Sasuke didn't say anything; instead he just picked up his food and started to eat again. He knew that his actions pretty much said yes without him actually saying the words. He started picking out the tomatoes and eating them, trying to think of something to say. "Just shut up and eat," he said, wanting to change the subject.

"That totally makes sense," Naruto said. "I told him that he should rewrite that stupid article," he sighed, slightly frustrated with his brother. He didn’t want Itachi to be mad at him because Kurama did something stupid. If Itachi was mad at him then he knew there was a chance he’d stop helping him win over Sasuke.

Sasuke just sighed, "I'm sorry I brought up the stupid article." He frowned as he said, "Can we just talk about something else?"

Naruto nodded, "Fine." He knew that Sasuke wouldn't be comfortable again unless he changed the subject and he refused to backtrack again in their relationship. "So, let's talk about the real reason I came today instead," he smiled, earning a slightly confused look. Sasuke had suspected he had an alterative motive, he just hadn’t been sure what it was. "I was thinking that we should start hanging out more," he said. "We could go to a rock bar or just to the park. It'll be fun," he smiled.

Sasuke thought about it a moment, _'What could it hurt?'_ He ignored the fact that the blonde's ideas almost sounded as if they were date suggestions. "I guess we could," he said, still unsure about it. _'He's just trying to be my friend,'_ he tried to assure himself. He was convinced even more when the conversation turned to things more trivial, such as their favorite foods and movies.

**NS**

"What's going on?" Itachi asked as he walked to Kakashi. He was looking into Sasuke's office, listening in on the conversation. The light haired man looked amused, which made Itachi suspicious. He remembered that Naruto had brought Sasuke lunch, but something so simple as lunch couldn't have been that entertaining.

"Blondie is asking your brother out on a date and Sasuke doesn't even realize it," he chuckled. "Naruto asked if Sasuke wanted hang out by going to the park or a rock bar. I'm pretty sure that Sasuke doesn't even realize he's agreeing to go on a date."

Itachi nodded, "He is often clueless when it comes to things such as dating." He leaned against the door to Kakashi's office, which was right across from Sasuke's. "It should be interesting to see Naruto attempt to win him over," Itachi said. "Especially when Sasuke doesn't even realize what he's doing.”

The two watched as Naruto and Sasuke finished their lunch and then proceeded to get up and walk towards the door. Sasuke got up to see what Kakashi and Itachi were doing outside of Kakashi's office. Naruto on the other hand got up to leave, not even noticing that the two older men were watching them.

"I'll see you later then," Naruto smiled. "I know you don't work on the weekends so you have no excuse not to hang out with me this weekend," the blonde said as he walked out of the office. Sasuke just nodded in response, knowing that he wasn't going to get out of it. Though if he were honest, he didn’t really want to get out of it.

Once Naruto walked away, Sasuke looked at the other two men. They looked far too amused with the situation for his liking. "Stop looking at me like that," Sasuke snapped. "We're just hanging out as _friends_ ," he added before closing the door to his office.

"Yep, he's clueless," said Kakashi as he looked over at Itachi. Itachi just nodded before making his way down the hall towards his own office. "Though I have to say it was pretty nice of you to help blondie. I don't think that he would have came up with suggestions that Sasuke would agree to if you hadn't," he added as he watched Itachi walk away. The only response that he received from the Uchiha was Itachi looking back at him with a smirk on his face. He didn't admit or deny anything, but Kakashi knew that the simple action meant he was right.

**NS**

Kurama paced back and forth from one side of the kitchen to the other. He was trying to think about what he could have done to make Itachi so mad. His brother was on the couch, watching him but not saying anything. "What could I have done?" Kurama asked, frustrated.

Naruto was silent for a moment, thinking about how he should word it. "Well," he started. "It might have something to do with the article you wrote," he continued. "I mean it was in your office at the time Itachi was in there, right?" he pointed out. He tried to remain casual about it, not wanting to get in the middle of their fight,

"What do you know?" the red head asked, knowing that Naruto talked to Sasuke earlier that day. "What did Sasuke tell you exactly?"

Naruto bit his lip, unsure how to phrase his answer. "Well he didn't exactly say anything," he sighed, knowing there was no way out of the conversation. "It was more what he didn't say when I asked him about it," he continued, seeing his brother tense up. "He didn't say it was the reason, but he also didn't deny that it is why Itachi is mad.”

Kurama cursed his own stupidity, _'Why did I have to write the article like that? Why couldn't I have just used what he said in the interview?'_ Itachi had given him explicit instructions when he agreed to the date that he couldn’t use anything he learned from it in the article. He knew then that he couldn't use the article he had written, or at least not all of it.

**NS**

Sasuke was lying on his bed, looking up at the ceiling. He was deep in thought, mostly thinking about Naruto and his feelings. _'Why did I agree?'_ he asked himself. He wasn't a very social person so he wasn't sure why he agreed to go anywhere with the blond. Deep down he knew the real explanation was his attraction to the other man, but he wouldn’t allow himself to admit it.

' _He's just trying to be a friend, right? It's just going to be two friends hanging out and getting to know each other,'_ he thought, trying to reassure himself that it their relationship would always remain strictly platonic. _'So why do I want it to be more than that?'_ he wondered. His eyes widened at that thought, _'No, I can't like him.’_ _Sasuke took a deep breath, trying to sort out his emotions._ _'I don't like the moron. I hardly know him,'_ he was once again assuring himself.

He bit his lip as he remembered the night they were drunk, _'We're not going to a bar.'_ He decided that mixing him, Naruto, and drinking just wasn't a good idea. _'A bar is definitely not a good idea,'_ he decided, not wanting to make things awkward again nor did he want to make his feelings for Naruto more confusing than they already were.


	20. Kiss

**"You come to love not by finding the perfect person, but by seeing an imperfect person perfectly." -Sam Keen**

" **A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous." ~Ingrid Bergman**

Kurama took a deep breath as he looked up at the Uchiha Corporation building. Itachi hadn't been answering any of his calls; so he turned to a method that the Uchiha wouldn't be able to just send him to voicemail. He knew that even if Itachi slammed the door in his face he'd still be able to try to talk to him through the door, assuming it wasn’t sound proof.

Once on the top floor of the building, he looked around for Itachi's office. Remembering what Naruto had told him, he made his way down the long hallway toward Itachi's office. He passed Sasuke's office, causing the younger Uchiha to raise an eyebrow in surprise. _'I don't want to know,'_ Sasuke thought as he went back to his work. He knew he should probably call and warn Itachi the man was on his way, but he decided not to get involved. Instead, Sasuke got up and closed his door so he could have deniability if Itachi asked if he knew the other man was there.

The redhead knocked on Itachi's office door, earning the response, "Come in." He slowly walked in, unsure as to what the other man would say when he saw it was him and not an employee. The look on Itachi's face once he looked up and saw told Kurama that he was not happy by his surprise visit. "What do you want?" he tried to maintain his monotone tone voice, though the expression on his face told Kurama how the dark haired man felt about seeing him.

"Well, I needed to talk to you," he nervously started. "But you didn't answer my phone calls.” It was the first time in a long time Kurama found that he was extremely nervous to talk to someone out of fear of rejection. "I figured this was the only way to get you to listen to me," he explained, though he could tell that Itachi wasn't amused by his presence.

"Get out," the Uchiha said calmly, but Kurama didn't make any indication of moving.

"No," he said boldly. "I want you to hear me out," he told him as he sat in the chair across from Itachi. "I'm not leaving until you hear what I have to say.”

"Don't make me call security," Itachi threatened. "You can either leave on your own or you'll leave by force," he warned him. The look on his face told Kurama that he wasn’t bluffing, but he had to try to get Itachi to listen to him.

"Look, I know the article was bad," Kurama started to explain. "I just thought it'd be more interesting than anything you told me during the interview," he could tell that he was only making the situation worse. "I know it was stupid of me," he quickly added, hoping that Itachi could see he was being sincere in his apology.

Before Kurama could say anything else Itachi picked up the phone on his desk. He contacted security by dialing one simple number. "I need a man escorted out of the building," Itachi said as he looked directly at Kurama.

"Okay, I'll go," the redhead sighed as he stood up. "Just promise me that you'll read the article when it comes out," he pleaded as he walked toward the door. When he received no response from Itachi, he frowned and walked out of the office.

"Never mind," Itachi told the security office. "I took care of it," he told them before hanging up the phone. _'I've already read the stupid article, why would I want to read it again?'_ Itachi scowled before going back to his work.

**NS**

"Didn't you say that Itachi has blackmail on you?" Kabuto asked, confused as to what Orochimaru's plan is. "Why are you risking your campaign just to try to take down the Uchihas and Minato?" he asked.

"I can dispute any accusations Itachi makes," Orochimaru told his assistant. "He has no real proof," he explained. "Plus, if I'm going down, they're going to go down with me," he smirked creepily, which just caused Kabuto to nod.

"If you're sure about this," the light haired man agreed.

"I am," Orochimaru assured him. "Just release the pictures," he told him. "The media will do the rest. Kabuto didn't say anything; rather he took the pictures and left the room.

**NS**

Minato sat on the couch with a bowl of ice cream. He'd had a long day at work, but it was a peaceful and rather stress-free night, or so he thought until he turned on the television. The television lit up with one of the gossip shows that many people found entertaining. Minato was about to change the channel, but then both of his son's faces appeared on the screen, making him turn the volume up to see what was being said about them.

One of the pictures that appeared on the screen was of Kurama and Itachi, looking rather comfortable together in Kurama’s car. Minato didn't know that it was from their first date, in which Kabuto had been waiting outside of the Uchiha’s residence; all he knew was that there was yet again another compromising picture of one of his sons. _"While the two weren't caught kissing, it looks as if they might be kissing soon,"_ the woman on the television smiled. _"They weren't the only two that were busy,"_ she said as a picture of Sasuke and Naruto appeared on the screen. _"It seems that Uchiha Sasuke and Namikaze Naruto are also in a budding relationship,"_ the woman added, but Minato had tuned her out and instead was looking at the picture. It wasn't too compromising, it looked to be the same coffee shop as one of the previous pictures Orochimaru had released, only Naruto had his arm around Sasuke as they walked out of the door. Minato knew it was just Naruto being friendly, but other people may perceive it differently. _'I need to talk to those boys,'_ he thought as he got up from the couch. "Boys, get out here, we need to talk," he called to his sons.

Within a few minutes the boys were in the living room. "What's up dad?" Naruto asked as he stretched, having just rolled out of bed.

"Want to explain to me why there are more rumors going around?" Minato asked sternly. He looked at his sons, wondering which would talk first. "Well?"

"Itachi and I are fighting so I don't think you'll have to hear more rumors about us," Kurama said, sounding very disappointed. "But I do like him and hope to change that," he clarified before mumbling, "If he'll ever talk to me again."

Minato then turned toward his other son, who shrugged, "What can I say? I like the asshole. I don't think he realizes it yet, but I do hope that we'll be something more _very_ soon.

The oldest Namikaze stared at his sons in shock of their blunt honesty. "I see," he said, trying to wrap his head around what his sons said. "Why can't you boys just tell me these things? At least then I could prepare for it," he sighed. _'Damn it, what do I do next?'_ he wondered. He looked at his sons knowing that he couldn't stop them from being with the other men, "Okay, just tell me next time." He smiled at his sons before making his way out of the room, wondering how he could make the situation acceptable to voters.

**NS**

Sasuke was in the store when he glanced at the rack of magazines, seeing him and Naruto on the cover of one. He pulled it off the shelf and started to flip through the pages. _'What the hell?'_ he thought, thinking that the rumors were over. He paid for his items, including the magazine, and walked out of the store.

The first thing that Sasuke did when he arrived back at the office was head straight to Itachi's office. The older Uchiha looked up at the sound of his office door opening. He was surprised when a magazine was thrown down in front of him, blocking his paper work. "I thought that you said you'd taken care of this," he said, slightly angry.

"I thought that I did," Itachi shrugged. "What does it matter? Our sales are going up if you haven't noticed," he pointed out to his younger brother. "I don't see any reason to make the rumors stop anymore," he said blatantly.

Sasuke stood there silently for a moment before he realized Itachi's reason for no longer caring. "This is because of Kurama, isn't it?" he asked. "You never really thought it would ruin the company so you didn't really care," he added. "You only tried to make it stop for Kurama," Sasuke said, somewhat in shock.

"Perhaps," Itachi replied before moving the magazine off of his paper work. "Shouldn't you be doing your work instead of looking at these stupid tabloids?" he asked. Sasuke didn't reply, he just let out a sigh and walked out of the office.

**NS**

Saturday afternoon Naruto dragged Sasuke to the park close to the dark haired man's house. "A park?" Sasuke smirked as they started to walk the trail around the large park.

"I like the park," Naruto smiled. "It's peaceful. Plus this way we can really get to know each other," he grinned, liking arms with the other man.

Sasuke looked down at their linked arms, _'This is starting to seem like a weird date.'_ He pulled his arm out of the other man's grasp, "Let me go moron." His words didn't stop Naruto from walking close to him.

Eventually they ended up sitting on a park bench, talking. Sasuke saw a group of paparazzi watching them waiting for something to happen. Sasuke was sure that they had probably already taken photos of them, just not the ones they wanted. He just scoffed before signaling for Naruto to look in their direction. "I don't know what they think they're going to get a picture of," Sasuke chuckled.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked as he looked at the other man. _'How can he say that when every time he gets drunk he's all over me?'_ he wondered, a little angry at how Sasuke just brushed off the idea of them being together. "I mean they seem to turn everything we do into a story," he added, trying to remain casual when all he really wanted to do was give them something to talk about.

"I know," Sasuke replied. "It's just ridiculous," he continued. "I mean we're just friends, I don't get why they can't get it into their heads,” he shrugged, ignoring his feelings that said otherwise. _'A friend, that's all he is to me,'_ Sasuke tried to assure himself as he looked at the blonde.

"Just friends?" Naruto said, though Sasuke's words didn't sit well with him. Sasuke looked at him, surprised by how Naruto said the two simple words. Before Sasuke could say anything the blonde turned toward him and grasped his shirt, pulling him close, "Maybe it's not that ridiculous." He didn't let Sasuke respond; instead he pulled the dark haired man into a kiss.

At first Sasuke just sat there in shock. When Naruto ran his tongue along Sasuke's bottom lip, the young Uchiha couldn't help but close his eyes and melt into the kiss. Naruto pulled him closer by the waist, causing Sasuke to shift to allow Naruto to move closer, but it wasn’t close enough for the blonde. Instead, Naruto pulled Sasuke onto his lap, both of them forgetting where they were. Sasuke wrapped his arms around Naruto's neck, ignoring the noise of camera clicks as they kissed. All protests in his mind were pushed aside and forgotten.

They pulled apart, both breathing heavy as they stared at each other. Naruto could see the confusion in Sasuke's eyes as he evaluated what just happened. “I,” the blonde started but didn't know what to say. The look conflicted Sasuke gave him caused him to go into panic mode so he moved him off of his lap enough to get up. _'Damn it,'_ Naruto thought while he walked away with out a word, not sure what he could say at that point. He just hoped that Sasuke would still talk to him after what happened.

Sasuke sat on the bench, watching the blonde walk away. He was trying to clam his pounding heart, but was not succeeding. He bit his bottom lip as he wondered, _' What the hell just happened?'_ He was in shock. He had continually told himself that he didn’t like Naruto in that way, _'Why didn't I push him away?'_ He ran a hand through his hair, trying to figure out why he responded to the kiss, considering that he was sober.


	21. Talk

**"...A simple I love you means more than money..." -Frank Sinatra**

Naruto was pacing back and forth, trying to figure out why he walked away and why he kissed him in the first place. He knew that he liked him, but that didn’t mean he should just randomly kiss him because he was mad about Sasuke brushing off the idea of them being in a relationship. Walking away was causing him far more worry than the actual kiss. He should have stayed and talked about it and instead he ran away because of his fear of possibly being rejected.

When Kurama walked into the living room he saw his brother pacing and obviously panicking. He stood there for a moment, silently debating what to do, _'Should I be a good older brother and help him, or should I just quietly walk away?'_ His decision was made for him when Naruto turned around and saw him standing in the entryway.

"Oh, good, you're here," the blonde smiled as he stopped pacing. "I need some advice, or I guess just someone to talk to about what I did," Naruto said quickly, almost desperately.

Kurama suddenly grew curious as to what could have his brother so worked up. _'He was supposed to hang out with Sasuke,'_ he remembered, waiting for Naruto to explain himself. He could only assume that something happened with Sasuke, but he wasn’t sure what he could have done to cause so much panic. "What did you do?" he finally asked.

"Well, how do I phrase this?" Naruto tried to find the best way to tell his brother that he'd basically shoved his tongue down Sasuke's throat in front of a group of paparazzi. "You see, I _might_ have kissed Sasuke when we went to the park today and it _might_ be caught on camera because I _may_ have done it in front of a group of paparazzi."

Kurama just stared at him. While a part of him was surprised, the other part knew that he should have seen it coming. "By might you mean that you did," Kurama said, it was more of a statement than a question. He Naruto just nodded. "What did he say afterwards?" the redhead asked as he sat down, knowing it might be be a long conversation.

Naruto laughed nervously, "Well, that's the thing." He paused, looking down, "I kind of walked away without seeing his reaction."

"I knew that you could be dumb, but I certainly didn't think you were that dumb," Kurama replied as he shook his head at his brother’s stupidity. "Why the hell would you just walk away?" he asked. "You probably confused the hell at out of him.”

"I know," Naruto sighed. "I know that it was stupid of me. I just didn't know how to face him," he said as he sat down on the couch next to him. "I just couldn't stand how he was saying that the rumors were so ridiculous so I kissed him," he started to explain. "Then after I kissed him I realized how stupid it was of me so I walked away before he could punch or yell at me," he frowned, running a hand through his hair. “I was trying to win him over not scare him away.”

"Naruto, you need to talk to him," he told him. "You can't just kiss someone and walk away," he sighed, not sure what else to tell him. There was really nothing else he could say.

"I know," the blond replied as he looked at his brother. "I just hope that I don't get punched in the face when I do," he added. “That’s if he even agrees to talk to me.”

**NS**

Sasuke quickly walked into Itachi's home off office where he was finishing up some work despite it being the start of the weekend. Itachi looked up in surprise at his brother's actions. He never walked into his office without knocking, which meant something was wrong for him to just barge in. "Is something wrong?" he asked calmly.

"I figured that I should tell you before you see it," Sasuke started, making Itachi worry about what he was going to say next. The older Uchiha stayed silent, waiting for his brother to explain. "Naruto kissed me," he said, still feeling very confused. "It was in front of the paparazzi," he added a little nervously, not sure how his brother would react.

"Naruto's father isn't going to like that," Itachi commented. "What happened after the kiss?" he asked, wondering why his brother was acting so weird about the whole situation.

"The asshole just walked away," said Sasuke, slightly angry. "What kind of moron kisses someone and then walks away?" he asked, though it was more a rhetorical question.

"The idiot that you like," Itachi answered. He chuckled when Sasuke glared at him. "It's funny that you think you can intimidate me," he told him with a smirk. He shifted into a more comfortable position as he looked at his brother, "If you're so upset then why don't you call him and talk to him about it? You two are making your relationship much more difficult than it needs to be. If you ask me, you two obviously like each other and denying that fact will only cause more problems."

The younger Uchiha couldn't deny that he was attracted to Naruto and not just in the physical sense. He had thought about it ever since the kiss and he realized that it wasn't worth denying it any longer; after all, he did kiss back rather enthusiastically. Sasuke stood in the office, silent for a moment, trying to think of a response. "Why should I call him? He's the one that kissed me," he replied.

"You're acting like a child," Itachi pointed out, making Sasuke blush a little. "I mean you're letting Naruto take control, that's not normal of you. Unless you _want_ to be dominated, just please don’t tell me, I don’t need to know who tops and who bottoms in your relationship," he shrugged, making Sasuke feel mixed emotions of embarrassment and anger. "Now, I need to get back to work," he said. "As I said, it really shouldn't be too difficult to figure your situation out," he said, making his point of view on the situation very clear.

**NS**

Naruto ended up calling Sasuke first. After the conversation with his brother he decided that it was what he needed to do. The two of them planned to meet at the coffee shop so that they could talk. Their conversation started with awkward silence as they sat across from each other. Sasuke looked down at the coffee in front of him, not knowing how to start the conversation. Naruto was just trying to get up the courage to say what he wanted to say. "So," the blonde started. "We should talk about what happened the other day."

Sasuke looked up at him, trying to figure out what to say. "I know," he said. "Perhaps you should start by telling me why you kissed me and then walked away," he suggested.

"I like you," Naruto admitted. "I kissed you because you were saying that the fact that people thought we could be in a relationship was ridiculous and it was driving me crazy," he told him. "I walked away because I was scared you were going to punch me or reject me, or maybe both.”

"I kissed you back," Sasuke pointed out, wondering how he could like such a dense man.

"I know, but I just figured it was some sort of the heat of the moment thing," the blonde huffed. "I know it was probably stupid, and I'm so sorry that I kissed you in front of the paparazzi. Now the picture is going to be everywhere," he sighed.

"Naruto," Sasuke interrupted. "Shut up," he told him, surprising the blonde. "You don't have to be sorry for anything except the fact that you walked away," he informed him, causing Naruto to smile.

"So does that mean that you'll go on an actual date with me?" Naruto asked, grinning at the other man.

"Yes moron, that's what that means," he replied. Before either one of them could say another word, they saw a group of girls staring at them. One of the girls was holding a magazine and they both knew what the girls were staring at.

Naruto got up, "I'll be right back." He walked over to the group, "Are you done with that magazine?" he asked and the girl just nodded. "Can I see it?" he asked. She nodded as she handed it to him. "Thanks," he said, walking back to Sasuke.

"I'm guessing we're kissing on the cover," Sasuke stated. Naruto just put it down on the table, answering the other man's question. The headline read: _"Sasuke and Naruto flaunt their relationship with a passionate kiss."_ The picture on the cover was when the kiss had started; it was of the tamer portion of the kiss. The magazine then informed its readers that more information and pictures were inside. Sasuke flipped through the magazine until he got to the actual article. He saw pictures of him sitting on Naruto's lap, kissing rather passionately. He read the title of the article, which said: _"The passionate kiss of a blooming relationship."_ He let out a small laugh as he turned the magazine toward Naruto, "I guess they got something right."

Naruto just smiled as he moved closer to Sasuke before pulling him into a gentle kiss, making the girls at the other table squeal, mostly in disappointment. They just continued to kiss even though there were comments such as: "I can't believe they're really gay" and "They make such a cute couple!"

**NS**

A few days later, Sasuke sat on Naruto's couch, waiting for the blonde to get ready. _'And he tries to tell me I take forever to get ready,'_ he thought. He looked around, looking for something to distract him while waiting. Sasuke looked on the coffee table and saw a copy of Kurama's magazine. The magazine had yet to come out, which meant that it was an advanced copy for the Namikazes to look through. He picked it up and started reading it, curious as to what was written about him. _'I don't see why Itachi's so mad about this article,'_ he thought as he read through it. He flipped the page to see a picture of him that he didn't even know Naruto had taken.

"Are you reading the article?" Naruto said with a smile as he walked into the room. "What's with the look on your face? I didn't write anything besides what you told me was okay to write about," he said, wondering why the young Uchiha looked confused as he stared at the article.

"When did you take this picture?" Sasuke asked as he turned the magazine toward him. "I don't remember it being taken," he added.

"Yeah, I don't think you knew I was there to take it," Naruto said nervously. "I hope that you don't mind that I used it," he said. "I figured it'd be good for people to see the softer side of you," he added.

"I don't mind," Sasuke replied. "Just if you ever plan to use a picture of me that I don't know about, tell me," he said as he put the magazine down on the table and stood up. He wasn’t in the mood to argue about something as minor as a picture.

Naruto knew by Sasuke's reaction that if he didn't like him then Sasuke probably would have been mad. "Alright, lets go on our date then," he smiled as grabbed Sasuke's hand and started to walk toward the door.

**NS**

“You have better taste in restaurants than I would have thought," Sasuke commented as they walked into a nice restaurant. It was small but still nice in it's own right. It wasn’t the kind of restaurant that one needed a reservation for but it was nice and quiet.

"I don't know whether I should take that as a compliment or an insult," Naruto laughed. He locked eyes with Sasuke as they sat across from each other at the table.

"It was a compliment," Sasuke responded with a small smile.

"If you say so," Naruto smiled back at him. After a moment the blonde said, "So from what I understand, you're a bit of a workaholic."

"What's your point?" the other man asked.

Naruto grinned as he said, "We're going to have to change that. You'll see; I'll get you to loosen up." He thought about adding that he’d be happy to loosen him up in more ways than one, but decided it was a little too early in the relationship for that kind of talk. He loved the small smile on Sasuke's face; he knew most people never saw it. "It'll be fun, we can go to a rock bar and get you drunk off your ass again," he laughed.

"Be careful Namikaze I'm going to start to think that you just want to get into my pants," he said, knowing what a loose drunk he was. It was no secret, so he might as well joke about it.

"Well could you blame me? You're gorgeous," he smirked when he saw the light blush spread across Sasuke's face. "But really, we don't have to drink, we just have to get you out of that office of yours," he said sincerely.

Sasuke decided it was time to change the subject so he asked, "So do you really make a decent living from photography? It just doesn't seem like it's a very stable job."

"Hell yeah I do," Naruto said. "Not the kind of money you make obviously, but I do good, I have a lot of clients that ask me to photograph for them fairly often," he told the other man. "But I really don't care about the money, I just like doing it. Isn't that the goal? I don't think a lot of people can say that they enjoy their job as much as I do," he said confidently. "What about you, do you enjoy your job?"

"Oddly enough I do," Sasuke replied. "I like knowing that I'm continuing my parents legacy," he said. "It's also nice that it keeps me busy.”

"Why? So you can blame your lack of a social life on your job?" the blond teased.

"Precisely," Sasuke replied. "Though you seem to want to change that," he added.

"That's right," he smiled. "It's not good for a person to overwork himself, I wouldn't want you to die from being too stressed," he told the dark haired man. "You need me to add some fun into your life."

After dinner, the two got into Naruto's car, though he wasn't driving Sasuke home. "Where are you taking me now?" Sasuke asked.

"One of my favorite places," Naruto replied. "It's a surprise, so I'm not telling," he added. "Just trust me," he said happily.

As they got toward the outskirts of town, Sasuke was starting to wonder if he really should trust him. He already wasn't a very trusting person, even more so when someone was taking him out of his comfort zone. "Don't look at me like that," Naruto said. "You're going to like where we're going, I promise," he assured the other man. Naruto stopped in what Sasuke felt was the middle of nowhere. It was a grassy hill with not a building in sight except for the lights of the city miles away. "Come on," the blonde said as he got out of the car.

 _‘So this is how I die, at the hands of a hot blonde,’_ he didn’t really think that Naruto would kill him, but one never knows. He thought about how ridiculous that sounded given that multiple people knew he was going out with him that night. Sasuke followed him reluctantly. They walked a little ways up a hill, where Naruto sat down. "What's so great about this place?" Sasuke asked, looking at the blonde.

"Just sit down," Naruto instructed. Sasuke did as he was told and looked at Naruto for an explanation. "I like to come up here just to get away from it all," he explained. "The city is so hectic sometimes. It's nice just to get some peace and quiet sometimes," he smiled. "Plus, it's beautiful up here," he said.

Sasuke looked toward the city. He could see all of the lights of the big city, but none of the craziness that went along with it. The city looked beautiful from far away, all of the lights and buildings lighting up the night's sky.

"Also, I can see the stars from here," Naruto smiled as he lay in the grass, looking up at the night sky. "It's difficult to see them in the city, but out here they're as clear as day," he said with a small smile.

Sasuke looked up at the stars. "I don't think I've ever seen stars this bright," he said. "Except maybe when I was little and my family used to go to our house on the lake," he added as he lay down.

The two laid in silence, looking up at the stars. After awhile Naruto laced their fingers together. "It really is beautiful," Sasuke said quietly.

Naruto turned his head away from the stars, looking at Sasuke. "Yeah, it really is," he agreed just as quietly. Sasuke looked over at Naruto, feeling the blonde's eyes on him. He unlaced their fingers as sat up and leaned over to the blonde, placing a kiss on his lips. It was just a gentle kiss at first until Naruto switched up their positions, making Sasuke lie on his back while the blonde hovered over him. Naruto deepened the kiss as Sasuke pulled him closer. Naruto didn't want it to get too out of hand so he broke the kiss. As much as he wanted to have sex right then and there, he knew it probably wouldn't be the best idea since it was only their first date.

"I'm glad you brought me here," Sasuke said, a little out of breath as Naruto once again lay beside him.

Naruto grabbed his hand again as he said, "I am too." He couldn't help but smile at the fact that the dark haired man was the one to initiate the kiss.


	22. Statement

" **The first duty of love is to listen" ~ Paul Tillich**

Itachi was working, immersing himself into work because he knew the magazine had come out that day and he didn't want to think about the article that it contained. He was still mad at Kurama for his actions. He was pulled from his work with a knock on the door. "Come in," he called. He looked up to see his brother walk in, magazine in hand. "What is that?" he asked, though he already knew the answer.

"You know what it is," Sasuke replied. The magazine had them on the cover and was clearly the one containing Kurama's article. He set the magazine down on Itachi's desk, "You don't have to, but I suggest you read the article."

"I already know what it says," Itachi replied angrily. Though it wasn't obvious to anyone else, Sasuke knew what Itachi looked like when he was angry. His demeanor had somewhat changed from the beginning of their conversation, he was a little straighter and in a way more defensive.

"I don't think you do," he told him. "I know that you read it," he continued. "But I think that he changed it," he informed his brother. Sasuke turned ready to leave the office, before he left he said, "You really should read it, you might be surprised."

Itachi looked at the magazine on his desk, debating whether or not to read it. _'I already know what it says, why should I read it? But why would Sasuke say that to me? Does he really think that he changed it?'_ he wondered. His curiosity got the best of him and he picked up the magazine. _'It can't be any worse than what I've already read,'_ he thought, opening the magazine. When he found the article he immediately started to read it.

' _During the interview process I learned many things about both of the Uchiha brothers, however, they mostly talked about the business rather than anything personal. Since they did the interviews separately this article will be split between the two, starting with the oldest: Uchiha Itachi._

_When I first went to write the article about Itachi I was going to tell about his personal life, but I knew that it was wrong of me. Itachi told me things in confidence, taking my word that the information wouldn't be used in the article and therefore the things he told me will not be included in this article.'_

He stared at it for a moment; shocked that the article was completely different from the draft he had read that day. He continued to read, certain that at some point the article would shift into something he told him in confidence, but by the end he found that it didn’t. After reading the entire article Itachi knew that he had to talk to Kurama.

**NS**

Itachi stood in Kurama's office building, knowing that the redhead would be somewhere in the building. It was easy to spot the redhead the minute that he walked into the room his red hair stuck out like a sore thumb in the sea of brunettes and blondes that surrounded him, talking about the next issue of the magazine. The minute their eyes met, Kurama said, "We'll talk about this later." He extracted himself from the group and immediately made his way to the other man. "What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice showing the surprise that his face was trying to hide.

"I read the article," he admitted, his eyes still locked with Kurama's. "Do you not want to talk to me?" Itachi asked, knowing that wasn't the case. "Because I can leave if you really want me to," he said.

"No, I don't want you to leave," Kurama said quickly, not want wanting Itachi to leave. "You just surprised me," he said calmly. "I really didn't expect you to read the article," he explained. "Let's go into my office and talk.” Itachi just nodded causing Kurama to lead the way to his office.

Once in the office, they sat down across from each other. "Just because I'm here doesn't mean I automatically forgive you," he told the redhead. "It just means that I'm letting you explain.”

"I didn't expect you to forgive me that easily," he said with a hint of a smile. "But I'm glad you're letting me explain.” Itachi just looked at him as if to tell him to just start explaining. "I initially wrote an article based on what you told me in the interview," he started. "But I found it rather boring and so I added some things that I didn't think were that personal," he continued. "I was still unsure of it though because I wasn't sure how you'd react. When I talked to my brother about it he told me that I should change it, which I was going to do. You read the copy I was going to get rid of," he told him.

Itachi was silent for a moment, debating whether or not he should accept his explanation. It bothered him that his brother had to be the one to tell him to change the article rather than him deciding on his own. When he spoke he finally said, "I don't know if I can trust you again." He looked at the other man as he said, "You were thinking about publishing it, that doesn't make me think that I should trust you if you're willing to go behind my back and write about things that I told you in confidence when I specifically told you that you couldn’t use it before our date.”

"Can we at least be friends?" Kurama asked, somewhat desperately. "Let me show you that you can trust me," he begged, just wanting to have some sort of relationship with the other man. "I like you, that's the main reason why I changed the article. If I didn't care about you then the article would have been published the way that you read it," he told him, hoping that it would make the man forgive him even just a little bit.

Itachi once again remained silent for a moment, wondering if he should give Kurama a chance. "Fine, we can be friends," he agreed. "But if you even slightly betray my trust again, you will _deeply_ regret it," he informed the man.

"You don’t have to worry about that, I won't," Kurama assured him, slightly concerned as to what that meant, but he wasn’t going to ask. "I promise.”

Itachi looked at him skeptically, "You better hope that you don't." He got up from the chair, "I better get back to work. I already have a pile of papers on my desk, I don't need it to pile up more." Kurama nodded with a small smile. As Itachi made his way out the door he stopped and turned toward Kurama before saying, "I'll see you later." The simple words cause Kurama to grin as the man left his office.

**NS**

Sasuke and Naruto were sitting on the blonde's couch, watching a movie. It was a comedy, though they had only been half paying attention. Naruto had his arm around Sasuke, causing the dark haired man to relax against him. The blonde could feel Sasuke's body heat against him, making it difficult for him to concentrate on the movie. He looked over at Sasuke, whose eyes were fixated on the TV screen. Sasuke could sense Naruto's eyes on him, "Why are you staring at me?"

"Why shouldn't I be staring at you?" the blonde replied with a mischievous smile.

"Generally when watching a movie people concentrate their attention on the screen," Sasuke said as he looked at Naruto, knowing where their conversation was most likely leading.

"If you want me to actually watch the movie then you shouldn't sit so close to me," he said, the mischievous smile still in place and joined by a glint in the blonde's eyes. "You're so much more fun to look at than the TV," he told him before leaning over and kissing the dark haired man.

Sasuke deepened the kiss as he slipped out of Naruto's hold and maneuvered their position so that he was lying back on the couch and the blond was on top of him. Sasuke had wrapped his arms around Naruto's neck, encouraging him to continue kissing. At that point the blonde was positioned between Sasuke's legs as one hung off the side of the couch and one was against the backrest, allowing them a more comfortable position. Naruto's hands had roamed up Sasuke's shirt, causing the man to let out a slight moan of approval.

Their kissing was interrupted when Naruto's father walked into the room. "Are you two really about to have sex on the couch?" he asked as he looked at the two.

Naruto and Sasuke sat up quickly and started fixing their appearances and seating arrangement as Naruto said, "No, we were just kissing it wasn't going to go that far." Sasuke didn't meet Minato's eyes as Naruto continued to talk, "We were watching a movie and it just lead to some kissing."

"Right," Minato said, not believing a single word his son said.

Sasuke could feel the tension in the room and it was making him uncomfortable. By the look on Minato's face he had a feeling that Naruto and his father needed to talk about what was going on. "I should probably go," Sasuke said, though it came out as a question more than a statement. He looked at Naruto to confirm that the two needed time to talk.

Naruto gave him a small nod, "I'll talk to you later." Sasuke placed a quick, chaste kiss on the blonde's lips before getting up and quickly exiting the house.

"So I take it the rumors are true then," Minato said, breaking the awkward silence that had filled the room. "You're starting to get this bad habit of not telling me things lately," he said, clearly not amused by the situation.

"I'm sorry," Naruto mumbled. He took a deep breath as he gained some confidence, "I'm going to continue seeing him. I really did mean to tell you but it all just happened so fast and I never really found the right time. I mean it's kind of hard to tell your politician father that you're seeing another man."

"That doesn't mean you should spring it on me by having me walk through the door to find you two practically having sex on the couch," he replied. "And I already know that you're gay or bi whatever you want to call it," he said. "So it really shouldn't be that difficult to explain what is going on to me."

Naruto nodded, not knowing what to say to his father. All he could really think about was how the mood killer also killed the slight boner that he had obtained during his and Sasuke's make out session, but he didn't think it'd be appropriate to talk about that with his father. "I'm sorry," he said again. "But at least now you know," he tried to change the mood in the room. He saw the look on his father's face, which clearly said he was not amused. Naruto frowned, "I'm going to go in my room." He quickly left, leaving his father trying to figure out what to do.

**NS**

Minato stood in front of a group of cameras and reporters, knowing that he had to hold a press conference about what was going on. He needed to make a statement about the rumors. He looked at the cameras and the reporters, assuring himself it was the right thing to do. "I'm sure many of you have heard the rumors that have been circulating about my sons. While some of them are true, I'd like to remind people that they shouldn't always trust what they read in a magazine or hear on the television. Regardless, no matter what maybe true or untrue I will stand by my sons in whatever decision they make regarding whom they date. I understand that one cannot choose whom they love. If my sons find love with another man I'm not going to stop or disown them. My family is the most important thing to me and so I will never treat them differently just because the person they decide to be with," he stated.

The group of reporters tried to ask questions, but an assistant told them, "Mr. Namikaze will not be answering any questions at this time." Minato walked off the small stage and away from the press, feeling that he'd said all that he needed to say. He knew that if he talked to the press then they would just try to twist it into something else.

**NS**

Orochimaru watched the press conference. Kabuto was ready to take any orders that the older man said in response to the press conference. "Give me a way to twist his words," Orochimaru ordered as he stared at the TV screen. "There _must_ be some way that I can use this against him," he said, trying to think of any way to bring Minato down.

"He's standing behind his family, I'm not sure how you could twist that," Kabuto replied.

"I want you to release this statement," Orochimaru huffed, trying to find some way to make Minato look bad. "Minato is good for the family, but is he good for Konoha? His liberal views could force him to push for a change in Konoha laws. Gay marriage may be the start, but what could that lead to next?" he smirked as he said it. It wasn’t his best, but it was the best he could think of in that situation and should at least make any conservatives think twice about voting for the man.

Kabuto nodded, "I'll get it out right away." He walked away; ready to call every media outlet to make sure that Orochimaru's opinion was heard.

Orochimaru sat alone staring at the TV screen, a smirk on his face. _'I will bring him down, there's no question about it,'_ he thought, very pleased with his actions.


	23. Surprise

**At the touch of love, everyone becomes a poet. ~** **Plato**

Naruto walked into the large building of the Uchiha Corporations. The blonde liked surprising his boyfriend. He wasn't sure if he could truly call him that, they never actually made it official. They hadn't really talked about it in those terms. It was true that they went on several dates and made out many times, but that didn't necessarily automatically classify them as boyfriends. He figured that just because he didn't know what to classify them as didn't mean that he couldn't surprise him at lunch.

the elevator made it's way up to the top floor he got more nervous, hoping that it was a good idea and that he wouldn't be interrupting something important. It wasn’t as if it were the first time he’d surprised the man so he wasn’t sure why he was so worried. _'What if he's in a meeting? Maybe I should have thought this through more. Last time I surprised him he wasn't that busy, hopefully he won't be this time,'_ he thought trying to assure himself, but not doing a very good job at it.

When the elevator doors opened he walked out and headed toward Sasuke's office. "Sir I told you last time, you can't just walk in when ever you like," the receptionist huffed, frustrated by the man’s actions, but Naruto just laughed it off.

"I know, but just like last time you're not going to stop me," he said confidently, continuing to walk down the hall as the receptionist continued to yelled at him.

Naruto was happy to see that Sasuke’s door was open and that he was alone. He knocked on the door to Sasuke's office, gaining the other man's attention. "Naruto," he said surprised as he put down his pen. "What are you doing here?" he asked the blonde When he glanced at the clock he knew the man was probably there to force him to get out of the office for lunch.

"I'm stealing you away for lunch," he answered with a smile. "It's noon and yet you aren't taking a lunch break," he pointed out. "Stop being an workaholic and come on.”

"I have a lot of work to do," he replied, despite knowing that Naruto wasn't going to take no for an answer. "I don't really have time to take a lunch break,” he argued.

"Shut up and lets go," Naruto said, not buying the excuse. "You're the boss, so if you need to you can always force someone else do your work. I won't take no for an answer," he said. "You know how persistent I can be," he added with a playful glint in his eyes.

"Fine," he said, letting out a sigh. "But just this once," he stood up, knowing there was no point of fighting it. They both knew very well that he’d eventually agree and Naruto wouldn’t leave until he did. He grabbed his jacket and made his way to the blonde.

"Right," Naruto chuckled. "You say that now but it’ll happen again," he grinned, earning a glare from Sasuke. “Don’t look at me like that, I gave you fair warning that I planned to change your workaholic ways. If you didn’t believe me then that’s on you.”

"Shut up," he said as they started to walk down the hall. When they got to the reception area, Sasuke turned to the disgruntled receptionist, whom was staring angrily at the blonde. "If anyone asks where I am, tell him that I went out to lunch," he said as the blonde grabbed his hand, pulling him to the elevator. "Stop being so impatient," he told Naruto, though his voice was more amused than annoyed.

The receptionist watched the encounter, confused. It was difficult for anyone other than Sasuke’s brother to get him out of the office for lunch. She tried not to read the tabloids about her bosses, but clearly they must have gotten something right if the man were able to pull the youngest Uchiha away from his work. 

**NS**

"So where are you taking me?" Sasuke asked, as they walked down the street. They were holding hands, fingers laced, as they walked to their destination. They got a few looks from people, but neither man cared.

"That's a surprise," Naruto said confidently.

"You're just full of surprises today," Sasuke mumbled, slightly annoyed with Naruto's answer. He kept letting the other man lead him, though he still wasn't happy about not knowing where they were going. Sasuke had never been a fan of surprises, but the blonde always seemed to find a way to push him out of his comfort zone more often and easily than he cared to admit.

"I like surprises," he answered. "You will like the surprise," he assured him. "So get that look off your face and cheer up," he smiled, liking the fact that he was in control of the situation. Sasuke just relaxed a little, but still didn't smile. “Stop acting like a surprise is the end of the world, you’ll just have to get used to them so long as I’m around,” he grinned.

They walked into a nice little restaurant. It was a casual, very relaxed place. As he looked around, Sasuke almost felt overdressed in his suit and tie he’d worn for work. "Table for two?" the greeter asked as he started to grab menus.

"Yeah," Naruto answered before the man started leading them to the table. Sasuke and Naruto had to stop holding hands as the man led them to their table so they could maneuver through the small restaurant.

"Your waiter will be right with you," the man said as he placed the menus on the table.

During the lunch date, they talked and Naruto even got Sasuke to laugh a few times. Naruto always felt a sense of pride when he was able to get the dark haired man to laugh; it was no easy feat. Sasuke didn't realize it but Naruto truly was getting making him change his routine.

**NS**

Naruto walked Sasuke back to his office after lunch. "You don't have to walk me all the way back to my office," Sasuke said as they got into the elevator. Despite his words, Naruto could tell that Sasuke was happy with the effort Naruto was putting in.

"But then I wouldn't be able to do this," Naruto replied as he pushed Sasuke against the elevator wall. Before the other man could protest about making out in the elevator of the place that he worked, the blonde pulled him into a passionate kiss. Sasuke quickly caved in and let him deepen the kiss. Naruto pulled him close as he wrapped his arms around Sasuke's waist. Sasuke's hands ended up in the blonde's hair, encouraging Naruto's actions and he seemed to forget where they were.

Neither of them realized the elevator doors had opened until they heard, "So you're finally getting yourself laid." Sasuke quickly pulled away from the kiss and out of Naruto's arms. He straightened out his appearance before walking out of the elevator doors, Naruto following quickly behind him. Sasuke didn't even have to look in the direction of the person that uttered the words, he knew just by the voice and words that it was Kakashi. "So is this your new boyfriend?" Kakashi asked in a perverted tone.

Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other, not exactly sure how to answer that question. They hadn't discussed it and so neither of them knew how to answer it. It seemed as if it were implied by their actions that they were dating, but neither felt comfortable answering the question with out being sure of the answer out of fear that they weren’t on the same page. "Shut up Kakashi," Sasuke snapped. "This is Naruto, Naruto this is Kakashi, my annoying advisor," he introduced the two.

"Don't be like that Sasuke," Kakashi smiled. "It's not my fault that I can't remember the last time that you brought a man to the office," Kakashi laughed. "Actually I don't think you've ever brought a man to the office, so you must be getting laid," he said, trying to annoy the young Uchiha.

"Is that why he's so uptight?" Naruto asked, joining in on teasing Sasuke. He smiled at the man when he received a glare in return, "Your glares don't scare me. I've received far too many of them since I've known you for them to have any affect on me." His words made Kakashi let out a small laugh.

"Will you guys shut up?" Sasuke said, annoyed that Naruto had joined in on the teasing. "I'm not _that_ uptight and we are not sleeping together, nor will we be if you keep egging him on like this," he added, directing the last part in Naruto's direction. Before the two could continue, he walked away toward his office.

"He doesn't mean that," Kakashi assured the blonde. "It just might take you a while to remove the stick from his ass, it's been in there for a while," he said with an amused smile on his face.

Naruto laughed as he said, "I better go calm him down."

As the blonde started to walk away, Kakashi said, "Just make sure you don't mess up the papers, I don't think Itachi would be very happy to find cum on them."

The blonde didn't respond, mostly because he knew that he wasn't going to get any action from Sasuke at the office, no matter how hot it would be. He knocked on Sasuke's open door. The dark haired man didn't say anything; instead he looked at him, clearly not amused. "Hey, I'm sorry about that. We were just messing with you," Naruto said, hoping the other man wasn't actually mad at him.

"I know," replied Sasuke, his voice monotone. He was looking at his work as he said, "That doesn't mean that you have to encourage him, trust me he makes enough comments with out anyone else's help."

"Will you at least look at me?" Naruto said as he sat down in the chair across from Sasuke. "I said I'm sorry," he said, causing Sasuke to look at him.

"I know," Sasuke said, giving him a small smile. "He just annoys me," he added, relaxing into his chair. "Thank you for walking me up, but I really do need to get back to work," he said calmly. He didn't seem mad at that point, just slightly annoyed as if he needed a little time to calm down.

"Alright, I get it," Naruto smiled. He stood up and leaned over the desk, planting a chaste kiss on Sasuke's lips, "I'll see you later then." Naruto walked out of the office, leaving Sasuke with a small smile on his face as he wondered how the blonde was able to make him forgive so easily. With anyone else the conversation probably would have ended very differently, but Naruto wasn’t just anyone to him anymore.

**NS**

Kurama sat on the couch, deep in thought. He was thinking about Itachi and everything that had happened. He knew that Itachi had somewhat forgave him, but it was obvious that there was still a lack of trust. He sighed, wishing he could find a way to make Itachi truly forgive him.

Minato walked into the room to see his son with a troubled look on his face, "What's wrong Kurama?" He was hoping that it wasn't a love problem because he wasn't sure if he could solve any of his problems in that department. He sat beside his oldest son in the hopes of being able to help.

Kurama looked at his father, unsure of whether or not to talk to him on the subject of Itachi. He knew Naruto wasn't home and he wanted help as quickly as possible so his only choice at that moment was his father. "The guy I like, Itachi, he's mad at me. Well, not really mad anymore but he doesn't trust me which means he doesn't like me back," Kurama explained. “At least not the way I want him to.”

"I see," Minato said. He knew trust was something universal, it was one of those things that you couldn't force onto someone. "Kurama, there is nothing you can do to force someone to trust you," he told him. "All you can do is give it time, I don't believe that there is a quick fix to trust issues," he told his son, wishing that he'd had a better answer. "Just give him time and prove to him that he can trust you, no matter how long it may take.”

Kurama nodded, wishing that his father had better advice for him. He knew that it was true, no matter how hard he tried to think of something to do to make Itachi forgive him, there was no quick fix to his problem. "Thanks dad, I'll keep that in mind," he said with a frown as he laid back into the couch in defeat.


	24. Boyfriend

" **Love is not enough. It must be the foundation, the cornerstone – but not the complete structure. It is much too pliable, too yielding." ~ Bette Davis**

"I never wanted to stoop to your level," Minato said, completely serious as he sat across from Orochimaru. "However, when you start to try to use my sons to bring me down, then I'm not going to be so nice," he told him with a slightly threatening tone in his voice. "I don't think that you remember the fact that we went to high school together," he added confidently.

"So, what's your point?" Orochimaru asked. It was true that they had gone to high school together but he didn't understand what that had to do with anything.

"Then you should remember all of the pictures that were taken at all of those parties," Minato said. "You know the ones that Jiraiya would take just to have an excuse to take pictures of the girls at the parties," he added.

"Could you get to your point?" Orochimaru asked. "I have work to do, which doesn't particularly involve talking to you," he added. He was smug and thought that his plans were fool proof.

"I still have pictures from those parties," he told him with a genuine smile, though if you looked deeper you'd see the devious nature to it. "More specifically I have pictures of you at that party," he told him. "I mostly only have them because my friends were in them, but you aren't doing things that most of your following would approve of," he explained.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he growled. He didn't like where the conversation was heading and hoped that it wasn't going where he thought.

"You know what I'm talking about," Minato said. "Those parties where you were involved with underage drinking, drugs, and though the pictures don't specifically show it, sex before marriage let alone at such a young age,” he calmly told the other man. “It would look very bad to your conservative supporters.”

Orochimaru glared at the man sitting beside him. His confidence was quickly fading at Minato's words. "What are you getting at? You just want me to give up my campaign?" he asked.

"No," he truthfully replied. "I want you to stop involving my family in your twisted game. That also means the Uchihas as well. They are important to my sons and therefore they are important to me. Leave all of them out of this," he instructed.

Orochimaru gave an unsatisfied grunt as Minato stood to leave. "This doesn't mean that I won't still run for mayor and win," he told him. Minato didn't reply and instead walked out of the room, not giving Orochimaru the satisfaction of believing that he may have gotten under his skin in any way.

**NS**

Kurama was jealous. More specifically, he was jealous of Naruto. He wasn't jealous of the fact that he was dating Sasuke, but of how well their relationship was going. He sighed as he looked down at his phone. He wanted to call Itachi, but wasn't sure how well the conversation would go. He wanted to make things right with them, but knew that it was just wishful thinking that Itachi would forgive him so easily. The man had said that he couldn't trust him, but he'd try to be friends, but Kurama couldn't help but want their relationship to be more than the dreaded friend zone. _'Dad is probably right, but I still have to find out,'_ he thought as he started to dial Itachi's number.

" _Hello?"_ came from the other end; it was unmistakably Itachi's voice.

"Hey," Kurama said, wondering why he was so nervous. He felt like a teenager talking to their first crush. "I was hoping we could go somewhere and talk, maybe the park," he added, wanting to keep it to a public place so that if Itachi got annoyed with him he wouldn't show it. The more public the place, the less likely someone was to make a scene.

" _Sure,"_ he replied after a moment of hesitation. _"But what is it that you would like to talk about?"_ he asked, figuring he may be able to save them a trip to the park.

"I'd rather talk about it in person," Kurama told him, hoping that Itachi would just trust him and go along with it. "Will you meet me in ten minutes?" he asked.

" _Fine, as long as you don't pull a stunt like your brother did,"_ he replied. They both knew that Itachi was talking about the kiss and as much as Kurama would like to kiss Itachi, he knew that would be a very bad idea. Naruto and Sasuke had just been a powder keg ready to explode when that happened and his and Itachi’s relationship was nowhere near that level. Trying to kiss him the way Naruto kissed Sasuke wasn’t an option if he wanted the man to trust him.

"I know that would be pushing it," Kurama replied. "I'll see you in ten minutes," he said before hanging up the phone, happy that he had gotten Itachi to agree to meet him. It wasn’t much, but it was at least a start.

Ten minutes later they had both arrived at the nearby park. Kurama knew that he had asked Itachi to meet him, but in that moment he had no idea what to do or say. He thought that when he got there the right words would just come to him but he had no such luck. "What was it that you wanted to talk about?" Itachi asked as he sat next to the redheaded man, wasting no time.

"Us," was his simple reply. Itachi looked at him for further explanation, but didn't say a word. "I mean, I want to know what I can do to get you to trust me again," Kurama explained. He had thought about going to Sasuke for advice, but knew that he probably wouldn’t help him the way Itachi had helped Naruto. He was on his own and only one person would be able to tell him what he had to do.

Itachi remained silent as he stared at him, as if he were searching for an answer. "I don't know," he said honestly. "There isn't some magical thing that you can do that will just make me forgive you," he told him, practically repeating what his dad had told him.

"I understand," Kurama said as he looked down at the ground. "Is there anything that will help?" he asked after a moment of thinking.

Itachi slightly frowned, not sure of what to say. "You're going to have to figure it out on your own," he replied as he got up from the park bench. "If I start telling you ways to get me to trust you then you'll only do them because it was what I said, not because of what you actually feel like doing," he told him. He hoped that Kurama found a way to earn back his trust, but he wasn't going to give him the instructions to do it.

**NS**

Naruto and Sasuke were watching TV at Sasuke's house, it seemed that it had become their new pastime together. When they just wanted to relax in each other's company, that was what they'd often do. They had become accustom to curling up on the couch together, watching TV. They'd sometimes fight over what to watch, though many times Sasuke won, and half of the time ended up making out or falling asleep half way through the movie.

Naruto was leaning back onto the armrest of the couch, his left leg against the backrest and left hanging off the couch. It wasn’t the most comfortable position, but Sasuke was positioned in between his legs with his head on Naruto's chest and that made it worth any slight discomfort. The young Uchiha was lying on his stomach, with his head turned toward the TV as he tried to concentrate on the movie, rather than the calming beat of Naruto's heart. Naruto had absentmindedly started to run his hands through Sasuke's dark hair.

The blonde wasn't really concentrating on the movie. His mind was trying to figure out just what to call Sasuke. He wondered if he were allowed to call Sasuke his boyfriend or if they were just going on many dates to see if it could work up to that stage. It felt so juvenile to just ask, but he wasn’t sure how else to figure out what Sasuke thought of their relationship.

Sasuke looked up at the blonde and could see the confusion written all over his face. "What's wrong?" he asked, pulling Naruto out of his thoughts.

"I was just thinking," the blonde said, hoping that Sasuke would just add some snarky comment and go back to the movie. He knew that he wasn’t going to be so lucky by the fact that the other man hadn't turned back toward the movie. "I was just wondering, what are we?" he asked, giving into Sasuke's curious expression. "I just have no idea how to classify our relationship," he told the other man. “Are we boyfriends? Or are we friends with benefits? Or are we just an experiment to see how a relationship together will go? I don't mind if this is just a series of dates with no actual title to it, but I just really want to know where we stand."

Sasuke didn't say anything, but rather just maneuvered his body so that he could kiss the blonde. It was a quick, chaste kiss, but after he said, "We're whatever you want us to be." It was his way of saying that he wanted Naruto to be his boyfriend, but he wasn't going to push it that far if that wasn't what the blonde wanted.

"Well, what do _you_ want?" Naruto asked, his voice barely above a whisper. He was uncharacteristically nervous, obviously hoping for a specific answer.

Sasuke didn't reply, mostly because he didn't want to say the wrong thing. He wasn't sure what Naruto wanted, so he wasn't sure if he should respond the way that he wanted to. "I want us to be together," he answered, being somewhat vague about it.

"As in boyfriends?" Naruto asked. Sasuke looked away, a slight blush on his cheeks. Part of Naruto was happy because that ultimately meant yes. The other part was happy because he'd gotten the young Uchiha to blush, which was not an easy thing to do. "Will you be my boyfriend, you know, officially?" he asked, knowing that they had unofficially been dating for a while.

Sasuke didn't answer in words, but rather with actions. He once again started to kiss Naruto, but that time didn't hold back. Naruto ran a hand down Sasuke's back until he'd reached his butt, which he groped, making Sasuke let out a slight moan. Sasuke pulled away, confusing the other man. "Let's go upstairs," he panted.

Naruto nodded, slightly shocked at his suggestion. Sasuke crawled off of him, allowing Naruto to get up as well. Sasuke grabbed Naruto's hand and pulled him toward the stairs, to his room.

Once the door was shut, Naruto pulled them into another kiss. He had pinned Sasuke to the wall, which the man didn't fight, but instead started to wok on getting Naruto's pants off. The blonde's hands made their way up Sasuke's pale chest, pulling the shirt along with it. They broke apart only so that the shirt could be pulled off and tossed aside. Naruto asked, "Are your condoms and lube still in the same place."

Sasuke quickly answered, "No, nightstand." As they started to kiss once again, Naruto pulled the other man away from the wall and towards the bed. Once the back of Sasuke's legs hit the end of the bed, he let himself fall back onto the spacious bed. They broke apart again as Sasuke moved up onto the bed, Naruto quickly following him. The blonde pulled his shirt off and tossed it on the floor. He looked down at Sasuke thinking, _'He's beautiful.'_ He shoved off his already unbuttoned pants and then started on Sasuke's. They were both already hard and though Naruto didn't want to stop, he had to ask, "Are you sure about this."

"Very," Sasuke replied as he lustfully stared at the blonde.

Naruto didn't hesitate any longer. He leaned over Sasuke and found the other man's supplies. "Why'd you move them?" Naruto couldn't help but ask. He knew that they used to be in the bathroom and wondered if it was because of him that they weren't any longer.

"Shut up," Sasuke said pulling the blonde into a kiss and pretty much confirming what Naruto thought. He didn't push the topic any further, but instead decided to enjoy the night ahead of them.

Naruto was thrilled when Sasuke let him take control. The dark haired man would never admit it, but Naruto knew that he wanted someone else to take control every now and then. He kissed down the other man’s body, wanting to memorize every inch of him. When he reached his cock he paused for a moment, looking up at the man splayed out before him, “Fuck, you’re beautiful.” He didn’t give Sasuke time to provide a snarky response before he took him into his mouth.

“Fuck,” Sasuke cursed as his hands tangled into Naruto’s hair. He restrained himself from pushing Naruto’s head down further to take all of him. He let out a moan as Naruto licked and sucked. Naruto didn’t stop as he lubed his fingers, making sure to thoroughly coat them before working one into Sasuke. He picked up his pace, trying to distract the man from the initial stretch as he added another finger. He could tell when he found the right spot when Sasuke let out a louder moan and bucked his hips.

He continued to stretch the man until he felt he was ready to take him. He made sure to take it slow, knowing based on what he’d been told that it had likely been a while since Sasuke last had sex. Sasuke let out a little whine when he finally pulled away to put on a condom and more lube.

He flipped the other man over so that he was on his stomach before thrusting into him. “You feel so good,” Naruto moaned. Sasuke was tight around him and it took everything in his power not to move as he let Sasuke’s body adjust around him.

“Then fuck me,” Sasuke breathed out, demanding Naruto move. The blonde didn’t need to be told twice. He started pounding into Sasuke, angling his hips just right to make Sasuke moan. It had been longer than he cared to admit since Naruto had last had sex and he knew he wasn’t going to last very long.

Naruto wrapped his arm round the other man, pulling Sasuke flush against his chest as he continued to move. He knew he was close so he wrapped his hand around Sasuke’s cock pumping in unison with his thrust. He refused to finish before Sasuke as he set a relentless pace. “Fuck,” was the only warning Sasuke gave before he came, his body tightening around Naruto made him cum shortly after.

They collapsed onto Sasuke’s bed, breathing hard. Naruto took off the condom, tying it before throwing it into the nearby trashcan. “Yeah, I think I’ll keep you around,” Sasuke told him as he rolled over so his head was on Naruto’s chest.

Naruto let out a laugh and pulled the man closer as he grinned. It may be early in their relationship, but Naruto had a feeling he’d never let Sasuke go. He heard the front door close, indicating Itachi was home, “I think one of us needs to get their own place.”

He could feel Sasuke smile against his chest, “Agreed.”


	25. Epilogue

**All love that has not friendship for it's base is like a mansion built on quicksand ~ Ella Wheeler Wilcox**

**4 Years Later**

It was the last time that Minato could run for mayor and everyone was gathered in the Namikaze's house, hoping that their gathering would turn into a celebration party. It was nerve wrecking for Minato; though it was likely that he would win, he always got nervous when the results were about to be announced. "I'm sure that you'll win," Itachi told Minato when walked into the kitchen.

"Thanks," Minato replied. "I hope you're right," he smiled.

"People in this city love you," Itachi reminded him. "Plus it's not like you have very good competition," he gave something that was between a smirk and a smile. "If what happened during your last election didn't make you lose, I don't think that you'll lose this one," he pointed out. Minato just smiled and nodded in response, feeling a little better.

Kurama walked over to them, wondering why it seemed like the two stopped talking when he came over. "What are you two talking about?" Kurama asked as he wrapped his arm around Itachi's shoulder.

"You," Itachi smirked, messing with the redhead. "Your father was just telling embarrassing stories about you," he continued before picking up his drink and taking a sip. He seemed so nonchalant about it that it made Kurama think that he was telling the truth. "I wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't shown me the pictures," he added.

"Dad please tell me that you didn't tell him about the streaking incident," he pleaded, his hand moving from Itachi's shoulder to run through his hair. "I told you that I was drunk, you didn't have to take pictures of it," he told him. "It was a dare and didn't mean to run into the wrong house afterwards. I mean it's bad enough that the old lady called the cops, you don't have to tell Itachi too," he said, clearly embarrassed by the thought of his father telling stories about him.

"Kurama he was messing with you," Minato told him calmly. "I didn't tell him embarrassing stories about you," he informed his son. "We were talking about the election," he said as he stood up from his seat at the kitchen counter. "Now if you excuse me, I'm going to mingle with my colleagues," he added before walking away.

Kurama's eyes had widened at that point, "Damn it." He looked at Itachi and said, "Forget I said that." Itachi chuckled, but didn't say anything. He knew that it was only a matter of time before Itachi saw those pictures now that he knew about the incident.

Meanwhile, in the living room, Naruto and Sasuke sat on couch. "You look so thrilled to be here," the blonde commented as he looked at his boyfriend.

Sasuke was just staring at the TV, uninterested at the party around him. "You know how I feel about people," he said, not amused with Naruto's sarcasm.

"We'll be out of here shortly after the results are announced," Naruto promised. "So can you at least pretend like you're having a good time?" he asked.

"Yeah, whatever," Sasuke mumbled, not happy about having to possibly talk to other people. Sasuke was saved though, as the TV interrupted all talking by announcing that the results were in.

The man droned on about the other elections going around the city, before finally announcing the results for mayor. "The winner for the Mayor of Konoha is Minato Namikaze," he announced. The room cheered and congratulated the blonde man.

**NS**

"I'm exhausted," Kurama said as he sat down on Itachi's couch. They had just gotten back from the election party and both were just ready to relax. It was surprising how easily just talking to people could wear a person out.

Itachi walked into the living room with two drinks in his hand, he set them on the table in front of Kurama as he sat next to the redhead. "Are you going to go home or stay here for the night?" he asked. The question didn't really need to be asked, they both knew what the answer would be.

"I'll stay here," Kurama answered and Itachi just nodded, having already expected that answer. After a moment of silence, Kurama said, "Let's go to bed. I don't know about you, but I'm tired." Once again, Itachi nodded. They both stood up and made their way to Itachi's bedroom.

In the bedroom, Itachi started to strip off his shirt. Kurama just watched him, staring at the man's body. No matter how many times he saw it, he still found himself amazed by how beautiful the man was. Kurama walked over to him, wrapping his arms around Itachi's bare midsection. "Thank you for coming tonight," he said softly.

"You don't have to thank me," Itachi said. "That's the kind of things boyfriends are supposed to do," he pointed out, moving Kurama's hair out of his face.

"True, but I know how you aren't particularly fond of meeting new people," he sad as he started to kiss the other man's neck. "Unless it's business oriented of course," he continued. He stopped kissing his neck and looked into his eyes, "I feel as if I should make it up to you."

"I thought you were tired," Itachi smirked.

"You should know that I'm _never_ too tired when it comes to sex," he answered lustfully. "So let's get the rest of those clothes off of you," he smiled as he pulled him towards the bed.

Itachi stopped him, “I believe you said you were making it up to me, not the other way around.” Itachi smirked, “On your knees.” Kumara grinned, there was always something sexy about Itachi taking control. Kurama tried not to seem too eager as he got on his knees in front of the man. Itachi ran his fingers through the other man’s hair before taking off his own pants and boxers at the same time.

Kumara watched as Itachi undressed, knowing better than to move without permission. He learned the hard way that when Itachi took the dominant roll, Itachi was fully in charge. “Suck,” he ordered.

Kumara happily obliged as he took Itachi into his mouth. He could feel Itachi harden as he bobbed his head. He swirled his tongue around Itachi’s cock before running it along the slit. Itachi grabbed a fist full of Kumara’s hair as he thrust into other man’s mouth. Kumara felt him hit the back of his throat but kept his gag reflect under control as he took as much of him as he could. He could tell Itachi was getting close so he sucked harder while playing with the other man’s balls.

Itachi pulled him off, “I want to be inside you when I cum.” He pulled Kumara to his feet before kissing him roughly. “You’re wearing far too many clothes.” Once he undressed the other man he pushed him so his face was facing the wall. Itachi felt around the dresser next to them for lube, having kept it in multiple places throughout the house, as they tended to have sex on every surface.

Kumara braced himself as he spread his legs to give Itachi better access. He bit his lip as he heard the cap of the bottle open. An excited shiver ran down his spine as he felt Itachi’s lubed fingers against his hole. He unconsciously rubbed against the wall trying to find much needed friction as he waited in anticipation.

“Did I say you could do that?” Itachi asked lowly in his ear, his finger circling Kumara’s hole, but not going in.

“Please,” Kumara begged, wanting to feel the other man inside of him. “I’ll be good.”

Itachi hummed in approval as he thrust a finger in him. It was by no means gentle and Kumara loved it when he was rough. “You’ll be good?” he smirked and all Kumara could do was nod in response. Itachi continued to stretch him, but failed to touch Kumara’s aching cock and didn’t give him permission to get himself off.

He let out a deep moan when Itachi finally took mercy on him and gripped his cock, his hand still covered in some lube from preparing him. “Fuck,” Kumara groaned as Itachi thrust into him at a brutal pace. It took all his strength to hold himself up so he wouldn’t hit the wall as Itachi took him from behind.

Kumara came harder than he had in a long time, spilling his spend against the wall. Itachi kept thrusting into him until he followed shortly behind, filling Kumara with his cum. They were both breathing hard as Kumara leaned against Itachi’s chest for support.

“Let’s get you cleaned up,” Itachi said as he pulled out. The redhead nodded and let himself be led to the bathroom.

Kumara smiled as they walked down the hall. He thought about telling Itachi that he loved him, but thought it would be better if he didn’t say it for the first time right after sex. It had been a year since they started dating and he didn’t think it was too soon to say it, but he had a feeling that Itachi would never say it first. Instead, he thought he’d tell him the next morning when they woke up so it could be crystal clear that it wasn’t just a heat of the moment feeling. He just hoped Itachi would say it back.

**NS**

Naruto and Sasuke had left the party soon after the results were announced. Naruto knew that Sasuke wasn't a partier, so he got them away from the party as soon as he could. However, he expected a special thank you in return, which was how they ended up naked in their bed. Sasuke was lying on his stomach, his eyes closed and head on the pillow, turned away from the blonde. Naruto was turned sideways, propped up on his elbow as his other hand ran up and down Sasuke's back.

"If you're trying to make it so that I can't fall asleep you're succeeding," Sasuke said as he looked at the blonde.

"Good," Naruto said with a smile. His eyes wandered over what he could see of Sasuke's body. The blanket began at the bottom of the other man's back and was bunched up so that it ended high on his thigh. "Remember when I asked you to pose nude for me?" he asked.

"Where did that come from?" Sasuke asked, wondering why Naruto was bringing it up. "That was four years ago," he was confused. Naruto’s exhibit had been long over and as far as he knew he didn’t plan to do another nude exhibit any time soon.

"I know, but looking at you like this makes me want to take a picture," he replied. "Would you let me take a picture?" he was hopeful, but expected that Sasuke would say no.

"Why do you need a picture? You can see me naked any day you want," he said, which was his way of saying no.

"What if I asked you to marry me?" he asked. "Would you let me take a picture of you naked then?" he asked with a grin.

Sasuke quickly sat up, looking at him in surprise. "What are you trying to say Naruto?" he asked cautiously.

The blond sat up with a smile on his face as he said, "Marry me." Sasuke was shocked and a little skeptical that Naruto may just be caught up in the moment. It was just after sex and he was still on that high of the afterglow so Sasuke couldn’t help but think that it was possible that he didn’t really mean it. "I'm serious," Naruto said. “I’ve been thinking about it for a while now. I had a plan to ask you, but I know how much you hate grand gestures.”

Sasuke was speechless, he never expected Naruto to propose. He thought that moving in together was as far as their relationship would go, no matter how long it lasted. He just nodded, finding it difficult to form words. He pulled him into a passionate kiss.

"So I take that as a yes," Naruto grinned.

"Yeah, that's a yes," Sasuke said with a rare smile spreading across his face.

"And what about posing nude for me?" Naruto joked as pushed Sasuke onto his back. He was hovering over him, lust filling his eyes.

"Only if I get a naked photo of you," Sasuke replied before pulling Naruto down for a kiss.

"I think that can be arranged," the blond grinned and then leaned down to innate another kiss. "You ready for round two?" he asked as his kisses started going elsewhere.

"Always," Sasuke replied eagerly.

They took it slow, basking in the moment. There was nothing rushed about it as they kissed and touched. Naruto groaned when Sasuke pushed him onto his back. He had devilish grin on his face as he reached into the nightstand drawer, pulling out a red rope. “It’s been awhile since we used these,” he said.

“This is a special occasion, we probably should use them,” Naruto grinned. Sasuke didn’t hesitate to tie up the blonde. The rope wasn’t too tight, but it was enough to restrain him. He was incredibly hard as he watched Sasuke touch himself. All he could do was watch as he moved his fingers in and out, stretching himself. It was one of the most erotic things he’d ever seen. “You’re trying to kill me,” the blonde moaned.

Sasuke smirked but didn’t say anything. He poured more lube into his hand before grabbing Naruto’s cock and pumping, making sure he was well coated. He grinned at the noises Naruto made has he threw his head back, bucking into Sasuke’s hand. He whimpered a little when Sasuke pulled away. He opened his eyes and watched as the other man straddled him before lowering himself onto his cock. He loved with Sasuke rode him.

Naruto struggled against the restraints, wanting to touch his lover. Sasuke smirked as he moved faster. “I want to touch you,” Naruto whined, but Sasuke made no move to release him. “Please.”

The dark haired man took mercy on him and released him from the restraints, somehow managing to never slow his pace. Naruto’s hands immediately moved to Sasuke’s hips once they were free. He could tell Sasuke was close by the erratic pace so he gripped his cock, pushing him over the edge. Sasuke came on Naruto’s chest as he loudly moaned the other man’s name. Naruto wasn’t far behind as he came inside the other man.

Sasuke looked down at him, grabbing Naruto’s nearby shirt to clean him off. “You know, we keep tissues by the bed for a reason,” Naruto chuckled as he watched Sasuke clean him off.

“Your shirt is so much more efficient,” Sasuke argued as he tossed the shirt to the other side of the room before maneuvering so that he was resting his head on the other man’s chest. There was a moment of comfortable silence before Sasuke said, “I love you.”

Naruto smiled as he pulled him closer, “I love you too.”

**The End.**


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